Between vineyards and vintage shops under Niagara Falls

This is the 30th 'catch' we've made tonight." Shane Harper smiles, panting from the run he has just completed. Petite, slim, snappy, a black bandage covers his left eye, but rather than that of a pirate he has the air of a leprechaun. He is Canadian and has a very peculiar job: he calls himself 'Chef de farm', mixing English and French, after all he lives in Canada, a bilingual country. Shane is the deus ex machina of a large farm, exclusively serving the Pearl Morissette restaurant in the Niagara region. And the 'grips' he refers to are the runs through vegetable gardens and orchards, which he and his assistants perform at the request of the two chefs at the helm of this cuisine devoted to seasonality. Forget zero kilometre, here everything is just a few metres away and in real time.

We are in Jordan Station, a tiny village in southern Ontario, an hour's drive from Toronto. It deserves a stop, before reaching the orgy of fast food restaurants overlooking the waterfalls that give the region its name. On the road that leads to the American border, you come across this 17-hectare estate that was founded to produce wine and is now popular above all for its restaurant: a Michelin star, a green star for its attention to the environment and sustainable footprint, a climb up the list of the best one hundred restaurants in Canada, this year reaching the podium. At the hob, two chefs, Daniel Hadida and Eric Robertson, united by important experiences abroad, with a strong French imprint, and by the challenge of transferring to their dishes a holistic approach of regenerative practices and processes, where food and wine reflect the local ecosystem. Haute cuisine with the pride of presenting the best ingredients from the Niagara Valley. It is no coincidence that the dining experience is always preceded by a visit to the grounds, where perennials and orchards mingle with herbs, wild plants and flowers, which Shane and Deirdre Fraser, through a variety of preservation techniques, make available to the kitchen even during the long winter months. The bright dining room sits atop the Pearl Morissette Estate Winery, a black monolith with panoramic views of the estate through floor-to-ceiling windows. If one is lucky enough to sleep in the historic villa next door (a house, not a hotel), breakfast is a must in the morning in the village, in the RPM Bakehouse/bakery, always overseen by the two chefs. Flawless wine and a parade of gourmet coffee.

Garden Pearl Morissette

 From here you can set off on an almost endless series of hikes, the region is a network of forests and canyons. The Niagara Glen plunges you into the Carolinian forests, with mesmerising views of the river's vortex. The Bruce Trail, which can be travelled even for short distances, runs north for 900 kilometres to Tobermory, the freshwater diving capital of the world for the quantity of wrecks hidden in its crystal-clear waters. But Niagara is not just for sportsmen. On the way to the Horseshoe Falls you enter a microcosm of Victorian villages, antique exhibitions, literary festivals and majestic wineries dedicated to the production of Ice wine, the wine made from frozen grapes.

 Niagara-on-the-Lake is a little 19th-century gem nestled between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario. Along the main street, embellished with multicoloured planters, is a succession of vintage signs: Lakeshore Antiques overflows with furniture, lamps, rare English porcelain, prints and antique books; nearby, Olde Tyme Candy Shoppe is a time machine, with its glass jars and handmade candies as they were in the early 1900s. Kurtz Orchard offers year-round Christmas decorations, while the Niagara Apothecary has retained its historic 1820s décor and continues to sell medical supplies to visitors attracted by the display of hand-decorated earthenware amphorae and albarellos, mortars and pestles, precision balances, stills and even antique prescriptions. There is a country chic atmosphere at Angels Gate Antiques, which outside the centre, in a former barn surrounded by vineyards, offers a curated selection of brightly coloured Great Depression glassware, rare books and deco objects.

 From here you can take the Niagara Wine Route, which connects more than 80 wineries, most of them family-owned. Gourmet travellers in search of authenticity and hardened stomachs can enjoy a perfect Scotch Egg (hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage, breaded and fried) at the well-stocked King Street Pantry in St. Catherine's. The town is the hub of alternative culture in the region, with art galleries and impromptu concerts in the old town, trendy bars and a multitude of micro-breweries crowding the harbour. September sees the Grape and Wine Festival, a huge festival of parades and tastings culminating in the election of the 'Grape King'. Quite kitschy, but definitely fun. Time to face the Falls, cape on your shoulders and lots of selfies. And finally, a visit to the Niagara Parks Power Station, the old hydroelectric plant converted into an immersive museum. In the evening, the Currents show, a journey through lights and projections, restores all the power of the energy released by the monumental falls. Without a single splash.