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The Globo actor Marcos Palmeira has lived since 1997 on a 200-hectare farm in Teresópolis, equivalent to 300 football fields, where he produces organic foods such as cheese, honey, and chocolate and has already planted 20,000 native Atlantic Forest trees.
While millions of Brazilians follow the intense character Joaquim in the soap opera Três Graças, the Globo actor Marcos Palmeira leads a life that seems to belong to another century off-screen. At 62 years old, he lives on a 200-hectare farm nestled in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro, in Teresópolis. To give an idea of the size, the property is equivalent to about 300 football fields combined. And inside, he not only rests between recordings. He produces cheese, honey, organic chocolate, coffee, vegetables, and naturally leavened bread.
The farm is called Vale das Palmeiras and has served as the official residence of the Globo actor since 1997, when he decided to swap urban life for the countryside. According to Revista Caras, the main house follows a rustic style, fully integrated with nature, with spacious environments and a direct view of greenery in all directions. Marcos insists on riding around the property on horseback, personally caring for the animals, and closely monitoring each stage of the organic production. It is a life that contrasts radically with the backstage of television.
The 200-hectare farm that became a hub for organic production in Teresópolis
Vale das Palmeiras is much more than the home of a Globo actor. The property functions as a hub for sustainable organic production that supplies the market with an impressive variety of products.
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On the list are milk, cheeses, yogurts, honey, coffee, vegetables, naturally leavened bread, and even chocolate. Everything produced within the 200 hectares, following practices that respect the rhythm of the land and the balance of the local ecosystem.
What differentiates the farm from a common rural property is Marcos Palmeira’s direct involvement in every detail of the operation. He is not an absentee owner who delegates everything to employees.
The Globo actor walks around the property daily, rides horseback between the production sectors, closely cares for the animals, and shares simple moments of rural life almost always accompanied by his dogs. For those who follow his routine on social media, it is evident that the countryside is not a passing hobby. It is the center of his life.
The 20,000 native trees that transformed the farm into an environmental reserve
In addition to organic production, the Globo actor’s farm has become a significant environmental project. The land is surrounded by preserved Atlantic Forest areas and has the official certificate of Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN), a seal that guarantees the permanent protection of the area.
This recognition is not symbolic. It imposes legal conservation obligations that the owner has voluntarily assumed.
Over the past few years, Vale das Palmeiras has hosted the planting of around 20,000 native species to help recover and strengthen the local ecosystem. Among the trees planted on the farm are species such as jequitibá and pau-ferro, large trees that take decades to reach maturity.
It is a long-term investment that reveals a worldview where the land is not just for production. It needs to be returned better than it was found.
Life divided between the countryside in Teresópolis and recordings in Rio
Even with all the structure set up at Vale das Palmeiras, work in television requires the Globo actor to maintain a base in the capital of Rio de Janeiro.
During the recording periods of the soap opera Três Graças, Marcos Palmeira needs to be available at Globo’s studios, which means dividing his time between the farm in Teresópolis and an address in the city. The journey between the two worlds is part of the routine.
This division between countryside and city is one of the most curious aspects of Marcos Palmeira’s life. On one side, the character Joaquim and all the intensity of television drama. On the other, the silence of the mountains, milking, planting, and caring for the native trees.
The Globo actor seems to have found a balance between two existences that, for most people, would be incompatible. And it is precisely this contrast that makes his story so unique within the Brazilian artistic scene.
Who is Marcos Palmeira and how did he come to Vale das Palmeiras
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Marcos Palmeira comes from a family with deep roots in the artistic community. He is the son of director Zelito Viana and the nephew of comedian Chico Anysio, which practically ensured that cameras would be part of his life from an early age.
His debut occurred at the age of 5 in the film Copacabana Me Engana, and his television career began at 12, with a special appearance on TV Educativa.
The big leap came in the late 1980s when the Globo actor starred in the soap opera Vale Tudo and soon after protagonized Pantanal on the defunct TV Manchete, a role that marked an entire generation of viewers. Back at Globo since 1993, Marcos has accumulated characters in significant productions such as Renascer, Torre de Babel, and Irmãos Coragem.
The decision to move to Teresópolis in 1997 came at the peak of his career when many would expect him to get closer to urban life. He did the opposite. And the farm the size of 300 football fields is living proof of that choice.
What the Globo actor’s farm reveals about a different way of living
The story of Vale das Palmeiras goes beyond curiosity about a celebrity’s life. It raises a question that many people silently ask: is it possible to have a high-level career and still live simply in the countryside?
Marcos Palmeira seems to have answered this question with three decades of practice. The farm is not a soap opera set nor a whim of a wealthy artist. It is a productive, environmental, and personal project that he has built brick by brick since 1997.
The 200 hectares in Teresópolis, the cheeses, the honey, the organic chocolate, the 20,000 native trees, and the daily horseback rides compose a portrait of life that challenges the stereotype of the Globo actor surrounded by luxury and spotlights.
The decoration of the main house forgoes ostentation and prioritizes comfort and simplicity. It is a life built on deliberate choices, not appearances. And perhaps that is exactly why the story of Marcos Palmeira’s farm arouses so much curiosity.
What do you think of Marcos Palmeira’s choice to live in the countryside even at the peak of his career at Globo? Would you trade the city for a farm if you had that opportunity? Leave your opinion in the comments. This is the kind of conversation that yields because it touches on something many people think but rarely say out loud.
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