Vila Flor is a municipality in Portugal. Locally referred to as the Portuguese Capital of Olive Oil, Vila Flor is located in the Terra Quente Transmontana, in the southern part of the district of Bragança. The population in 2011 was 6,697, in an area of 265.81 km2.

History

It was King Denis who, while travelling through the burg (then known as Póvoa d´Álem Sabor, became enchanted by the local landscape and, in 1286, renamed the district Vila Flor. Around 1295, the King ordered the construction of a walled city, consisting of five gates, to protect the fledgling settlement and guard Portuguese interests in the territory. During the Middle Ages, this bouquet of flowers, as Cabral Adão (1910, in Vila Flor - 1992, in Almada), Vila Flor-born stomatology doctor and writer, once called it, became the home to many fleeing Jewish families, who settled in the territory to start farms and businesses of small industry (such as tanneries and jewelers). King Manuel eventually conferred on the settlement an official charter (foral), later to be reformulated in May 1512. Having favorable, tolerant views towards Portuguese Jews until he decided to marry Infanta Isabella of Aragon, Manuel I agreed to persecute the Jews of Portugal because the anti-Semite parents of his fiancée wouldn't approve that policy. King Manuel expelled the Jews from the municipality, whose remaining peoples or the army were then responsible for destroying the homes of the expelled Jews.

Geography

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 14 civil parishes (freguesias):

Climate

Vila Flor has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters.

Economy

Rich in history, tradition, monuments and citizenry, the municipality is also an important reference for agriculture, owing to the fertility of the Vilariça Valley (Vale da Vilariça). Olive oil and chestnut are among its main agricultural productions. Companies, such as Frize (a Sumol + Compal sparkling water brand) and Sousacamp (edible mushroom producer), known within and outside of Portugal, are located in within its municipal borders. The growth of tourism has meant that lodgings have developed throughout the region. Hotels and homestays, as well as establishments catering to rural- and agro-tourism, are found in the municipality. This tourist offer includes available options ranging from seasonal treks in the region to the municipal camping site and river beaches.

Notable citizens