About us

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Mario Santoro devoted much of his life to his artistic career as a photographer. He has exhibited his works in the USA, Japan and Europe. For the last 10 years he has lived in Umbria. Here he has constructed a 400 squared metre photography studio where he continues creating photographic Art.

Living in Umbria Mario transformed the family Estate into a farm and a welcoming accomodation for international guests. The TodiCastle Estate includes a medieval castle and three farmhouse Villas, all immersed in the uncontaminated nature found in the vicinity of Todi.

Mario was born in Cuba in 1968. His father, Geppi Santoro, has been Ambassador to Canada, Tunisia, United Nations, and Cuba. During those years of foreign service, the Santoro family had the opportunity to encounter and appreciate many diverse cultures and cuisines. His mother, Ingrid Hartmute Woith, took great advantage of these opportunities to develop her cooking talent and learned how to cook dishes from each place they lived. Thus, Mario grew-up in an environment where food and culture was international. He has a grand passion for all cultures and cuisines.

At TodiCastle Mario has created his ideal microcosm and a great ecological environment, where he promulgates the best Umbrian wines and highest quality food. This is the result of his constant research and accurate work. At the Estate, both wine and olive oil are produced. Also, there is an orchard and vegetable garden. All the products are organic and, because of the small production, are used exclusively by the Santoro family and are shared with guests and tourists. In the last years, he developed his talent for cooking primarily using the organic ingredients from the Estate and local farms.

He enjoys giving Italian cooking lessons specializing in pasta, risotto and vegetables. Mario often says : “I do not eat to live, but live to eat.”