We’re not talking that other Florence. I have been there, though, and it is nice. Really nice. If you have a choice between Florence, Ontario, Canada, and Florence, Italy, pick the Italian one…
But if you find yourself here, you can make the best of it by fitting in, feeling the quiet, and doing that one absolutely-not-to-be-missed thing.
When he mentioned this story series @Nick asked: “What would make guests feel like locals, like they belong?” Pre-pandemic, I would have said they should try the village restaurant. Our guests love it. They are delighted when someone walks in and everyone knows them. “How’s Bill doing?” or “Did you get that wagon fixed?” leads to an entire-room discussion. These days the locals see each other on walks. All you need to do to belong is... wave. Everyone waves.
We have modernised since that photo was taken. Internet speed is about the same, though...
The one thing we have here that is unique is the quiet. It’s the kind of quiet that's filled with birdsong. What can guests do in the area that they can’t experience anywhere else? They can feel that quiet. We are so far from towns and highways, so untouristy, that you can sink deeply into the quiet, maybe add the crackle of your campfire to it. Hear the hoot of an owl, the splash of a beaver tail. Watch a deer glide noiselessly by. Experience the deepest sleep, deep in the woods.
If you had only one day in the area, what is the one absolutely-not-to-be-missed thing to do? Bring a canoe, or rent one from the outfitter a few kilometres from us, and paddle the little Sydenham River. Because it is unpredictable and takes every opportunity to flood, it is largely unspoiled, home to endangered species and species-at-risk that are found in few places other than here. When you are on the river, it is no longer the modern world, but any time in history you are seeing. Very little has changed. That huge buttonwood tree was a sapling in 1812. You don’t want to miss it.
