Tours de César Belvedere

A lookout at the foot of the ruins of Château Neuf. An orientation table shows the countryside around the Lac du Bourget, Chautagne and the surrounding mountains. For safety reasons, entering the ruins is strictly prohibited.

A bit of history about Les Tours de César: We do not know much about the Chateaux de Cessans, but there are still significant ruins from the château named 'Château Neuf', as opposed to 'Château-Vieux', of which there is almost nothing remaining. These two châteaux are very close together, and guard the Col de Cessens passage, which you can still access by what is commonly (and mistakenly) known as a Roman road. This perfectly paved road actually dates from after the Roman era. Le Château-Neuf, seemingly built in the 13th century, was still inhabited in 1608, but was severely damaged by the French army in the 17th century. Today, we still call these ruins 'Tours de César'.