Castellane is the eastern gateway to the Verdon to reach the famous Grand Canyon. It is also located on the Route Napoléon, in an astonishing natural environment. Overlooking the village is a massive rock outcrop, on top of which stands Chapelle Notre Dame du Roc.
This chapel rebuilt in 1703 is a traditional place of pilgrimage, and to this day houses many ex-votos.
Over the centuries, the site of Castellane has moved around. In Roman times the Celto-Ligurian hill fort of Ducelia was abandoned in favour of a settlement called Salinaé in the plain. Then in the 9th century, faced with the threat of Saracen invasion, the fortified village of Petra Castellana was built on the outcrop. It was only in the 13th century that Castellane moved to its current site, around Saint Victor church, a former possession of the Marseilles priory.
In 1359 the villagers undertook renovation of the village walls, many remnants of which can still be seen : the pentagonal tower, the clock tower with its wrought iron campanile, and the gate of the Annonciade. The Petard Firer's Festival is held each year in front of this gate to commemorate an episode of the Religious wars. A weekly Provençal market takes place some distance from the old village centre on Place Marcel-Sauvaire, a vast esplanade bordered with arcades.