Valley Food Lab (22 blueberry producers, the largest continuous area of organic blueberry production in Europe; 60 hectares of Opuntia ficus-indica production; as well as genetic improvement of animal production; aromatic herbs; seeds; fruits and vegetables businesses). The Food Lab has developed partnerships with national and international entities to bring researchers to Idanha to help develop new ways of producing food in organic production at more competitive prices. In the Green Valley, the Collaborative Laboratory (CoLAB) of the Agência Nacional de Inovação (National Innovation Agency) operates Idanha Food Lab, which brings together 14 entities from academia and the business community and is managed by Food4Sustainability. Education Besides kindergarten and schools with classes from the 1st to the 12th grade, Idanha-a-Nova is home to an institution of higher education, the business management school of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco. Parishes Administratively, the municipality (concelho) is divided into 13 civil parishes (freguesias): Aldeia de Santa Margarida Idanha-a-Nova e Alcafozes (includes the town of Idanha-a-Nova, the seat of the municipality, and the village of Alcafozes) Ladoeiro Medelim Monfortinho e Salvaterra do Extremo Monsanto e Idanha-a-Velha Oledo Penha Garcia Proença-a-Velha Rosmaninhal São Miguel de Acha Toulões Zebreira e Segura (includes the town of Zebreira) Climate Idanha-a-Nova has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa) with cool to mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The town is located at roughly altitude. Places at lower elevations (e.g. Ladoeiro, shown below) can get even hotter in the summer, with average daily temperatures rounding in July and August. Notable individuals Notable individuals of the municipality of Idanha-a-Nova include: Olden times Pope Damasus I (ca.305 – 384) a Pope who was born in Egitânia or Vimaranes. Amador of Portugal hermit and saint, born in Monsanto. King Wamba (ca.643 – 687/688) Visigothic king, from 672 to 680; born in Egitânia (disputed). Roderic, Visigothic king in Hispania between 710 and 711, said to have been buried in Egitânia (disputed). Modern times Teófilo Duarte (1898–1958) a colonial administrator, military officer and politician; supported the Estado Novo Manuel de Paiva Boléo (1904–1992) was a professor of Romance philology and Portuguese linguistics. Manuel d'Almeida Trindade (1918 in Monsanto – 2008) Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Aveiro Luís Filipe de Castro Mendes (born 1950) Portuguese politician who served as Minister of Culture. See also Idanha-a-Velha References External links Town Hall official website Municipalities of Castelo Branco District