Halfway between Bonneville and Contamine-sur-Arve, on a spur dominating the Arve plain, stand the ruins of Faucigny Castle, from which this area derives its name. Historically, Le Faucigny comprised the Arve basin. Absorbed by the House of Savoie in 1355, it becme the duchy's sixth province. With four busy towns, La Roche-sur-Foron, Bonneville, Cluses and Sallanches, it is a nexus between the Genevois and the Mont Blanc transalpine route, and as a result is a rapidly developing area.