L'Escarène (; ; ) is an ancient commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. It was part of the historic County of Nice until 1860, named Scarena. It was a main stop along the Route de Sel during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, between French Provence and Italian Piedmont, on the Nice-Turin road. It was built in the bottom of the valley of Spangle of Escarène at the confluence of the streams of Redebraus and Paillon. More than half of its territory is made up of pine and oak, with marked trails for easy walks and hikes. This commune is known for a sad case of racist group lynching, in which a 39-year-old father was killed in 2022. Transport Train: the town is served by the line from Nice to Breil-sur-Roya. Road The Departmental road 2204 passes through the town. Borders Northwest = Lucéram North = Touët-de-l'Escarène Northeast = Peille East = Peille Southeast = Peille South = Blausasc Southwest = Berre-les-Alpes West = Berre-les-Alpes Toponymy The name of the town comes from the ancient Occitan and Franco-Provençal 'scarenna', a common name in the Alps and the wider Southeast (l'Escarène, Echarenne, Echerenne, Eycherennes, Eysserennes, Echirène, Echarasson, Chérennes, etc.). The word derives from the Latin 'scala', "scale", with classic passage of the intervocalic in 'r'. In place names, it refers to the edge, the steepest part of the mountain which can be reached by degrees as of a ladder. In Occitan Nice, the name of the town is L'Escarène according to classical norm and standard Mistralian. The inhabitants are called Escarénois. Scarena was the official Italian name of the municipality in 1814 and 1860. History The village is cited in history since the eleventh century. In 1037 there was a St. Peter's Church in L'Escarène. The stronghold of 'Lescarena' 'or' 'Scarena' 'belonged to the Saint-Pons Abbey, Nice. A castle was built there in the first half of the thirteenth century, but was destroyed in 1252. The first houses were built in the late thirteenth century. The oldest known house is' 'the Maioun de Pie' at Safranier. It has no doors or windows; entry is gained thru the roof via ladder. In 1520 the village was detached from the municipality of Peille. The lordship of the town belonged to a Nice consul family, Tonduti, who bore the title of Count of L'Escarène. Until 1570, the village developed on the slopes