After two centuries of persecution in Central Europe, Mennonite communities had become experienced pioneers by the 1800s. In search of religious freedom and stability, many left Switzerland for Pennsylvania in the northeastern United States, before eventually settling in Southern Ontario, Canada.

Today, the rural landscape of the counties of Waterloo, Perth, and Wellington is dotted with hundreds of Mennonite farms. Their values of simplicity and restraint are visible throughout the region—from the architecture of barns and homes to the layout of the fields, cemeteries, quiet gravel roads, modes of transportation, agricultural practices, clothing, and even the preparation of meals.

Driving through this region, it is difficult not to feel like a quiet observer in a world that follows a different rhythm.

© 2014 Gaetano Antonini