Ceret

The sculptor Manolo settled in Ceret in 1910 and drew others after him: Picasso and Braque spent the summers of 1911 and 1912 here working in parallel on analytic cubism, and Soutine, Chagall, Gris and Masson came later, which is why the town is sometimes called the mecca of cubism. The Musee d'Art Moderne, founded in 1950 with donations from Picasso and Matisse among others, holds the results. Ceret also produces the first cherries in France each year, and by tradition the first crate of the season is sent to the president. Plane-shaded squares and a fourteenth-century single-arch bridge complete it.

What you actually see

• The modern art museum - work by Picasso, Braque, Soutine and Chagall.
• The cubist summers - the town where analytic cubism was worked through.
• The Pont du Diable - a fourteenth-century single-arch bridge.
• The cherry orchards - France's earliest cherry harvest each spring.

When to go

April to June for cherries, with the fete in late May; the museum opens year-round but closes Tuesdays out of season and for rehanging. Summer is hot.

Honest expectations

The museum has closed for long renovation periods, so check before travelling. The cubist connection is history rather than anything visible in the streets. The town is small.

Nearby

Collioure lies east; the Spanish border is south.