Céret is a small town (8,000 inhabitants) nestled at the foot of the Canigou range. Its peace and its lighting attracted Picasso in 1911, followed by Braque, Matisse, Juan Gris... It has continued to host numerous artists, each of whom add to the collections in its world-famous museum of modern art.

Collections in the museum of modern art range from Pablo Picasso to Antoni Tapiès		The museum symbolizes the interest Catalonia has shown in contemporary art, supporting avant-garde artists from the 60s and 70s. It then opened up to artists from south Catalonia such as Gaudi, Dali and Miro then, more recently, the architect Ricardo Bofill and designer Antoni Tapiès. Following an extension in 1992, the museum now offers 13 permanent exhibition halls and three rooms for temporary exhibitions.

Vallespir valley

Amélie-les-bains in the narrow Tech valley	Sheltered by the Canigou, the Vallespir valley's situation and micro-climate allow mimosas and cherry trees to blossom. The valley also hosts a huge forest of cork oaks traditionally used to make corks. The valley also offers several spa towns: of these, Amélie-les-Bains is the best known, ranking second of all the Pyrenean spas. Both its name and its fame come from Marie-Amélie de Bourbon, wife of Louis-Philippe. She came to take the waters, which are known to help rheumatism and respiratory illnesses.

A traditional and popular Catalan dance: "la sardane"

Bear festival In some villages in the Vallespir, such as Prats-de-Molo, Arles-sur-Tech and Saint-Laurent-de-Cerdans, bears are still at the origin of a pagan ritual despite having disappeared long ago. Numerous Pyrenean legends present bears as a symbol of virility and a threat to the virtue of young ladies. During the Bear festival in February, a man from the village covers himself in a thick bearskin then gets chased by hunters. The "bear" is caught, shaved and "killed", thus transferring its virility to the hunters... and ensuring that the ladies of the village look upon them favourably.

 

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