Mario Mato spent his childhood and went to school in the small town of Portomarín. He spent his holidays with his cousins in the village of Lión, where he came into close contact with nature and animals, which spurred him on to create his life project. This project started to take shape when his parents decided to buy the farmland of Santa Mariña from a family friend.
A visionary by nature, he started out with the idea of creating a farm school. Later on, he contacted the Xunta de Galicia (the Galician Regional Government) tourist company, Xacobeo 93, and decided to focus on rural tourism.
Because of his desire to give his surroundings their own character and leave a legacy to future generations, Mario researched renewable energy until he succeeded in making Santa Mariña an eco-friendly place.
