May, Make Haste Slowly... Open Celery!

While tending to three pots of basil, as sort of free therapy, with pesto as the payoff!

May has arrived, and with it Italy’s most glorious season — when the entire peninsula seems to burst into full bloom. Mild days, golden light stretching later into the evening, and flowers everywhere make Maggio feel like the true king of months, with Mother’s Day whispering on the 10th. And, even if a few cooler breezes (or a work appointment) remind us to rush, a Latin phrase wisely advises: “Festina lente” meaning “make haste slowly!” 😉

Say it in Italian: maggio [mà-joh] (“gio” reads as in John)

May spring is shamelessly making out with summer, and if you’re still glued to a desk while the world explodes in color, we see you.

Welcome to Open Celery! our monthly Vegan Friendly newsletter. A four-handed gourmet adventure dedicated to Plant-Based Recipes, Cooking Insights, and Stories… Made in Italy! 🇮🇹 The fruit (veggie and dessert) of the collaboration between Simona (Personal Chef) and Orsola (la Gourmet Traveler+)

Published in Italian (cliccate qui per 👉 Apriti Sedano! Newsletter) and English, here’s happily edited and translated by Orsola (aka ockstyle) 😀

Picture this: you grab whatever’s screaming fresh at the farmer’s market—crunchy fennel, sweet carrots, ripe tomatoes still warm from the sun—and whip up a five-minute pinzimonio: raw sticks dunked in oil, dressed with a light pinch of sea salt and black pepper (freshly ground); or a lazy panzanella that revives yesterday’s bread (or a frisella), just add some vinegar, basil, (maybe few cherries) and zero effort. It’s the taste of the season: bright, irreverent, and done before your coffee or tea gets cold.

As the proverb goes: “Aprile carciofaio, maggio ciliegiaio…” — April is for artichoke, May is the month of cherries!

Say it in Italian: carciofaio [kar-cho-fàh-eeo]; ciliegiaio [chi-lyæ-jàh-eeo]

For those days you need a little more spark, sip a lemon-mint water spiked with sea salt to stay sharp at the desk: is cheap, hydrating, with zero drama. And treat yourself to an iced peach tea kissed with agave when you’re half-relaxing.

For a full surrender into relax mode… a prosecco spritz freckled with fresh strawberries it’s dangerously easy: Zero Recipe, Maximum Flavor!!!

Playlists suggestions. Crank up smooth Italian jazz with Paolo Fresu or a lazy Chet Baker, while you chop, or let the strings of Vivaldi wash over you like a cool breeze—pure therapy. All of it mixed together like the world’s laziest, most delicious cocktail.

Next up: the Traveling Chef is now fully immersed in Sardinia, loading her van for her food and yoga retreats. A few magical escapes and events are already delighting guests — she may share a few not-so-secret highlights soon! Together with her balcony bounty.

While the Gourmet Traveler+ spills the Rome must-sees, and how tending three pots of basil on her Roman balcony is basically free therapy with pesto as the payoff!

Plus, books that actually feed the soul, and—best of all—easy vegan and gluten-free recipes that won’t exhaust anyone.

The Traveling Chef

Ciao, Simona’s here. I’m in full bouncing between Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda and the yoga retreats, feeding hungry yogis and chasing sunsets in my trusty van.

My “heroic” houseplants (the succulents and that stubborn basil that refuses to die) commute with me like seasoned roadies.

As practical rhythm tips. I’m shopping at the local farmer markets every couple of days, where I get all the freshest organic local produce, and the news. Chit-chatting with the locals, that’s how you learn. With few stops here and there for other groceries.

I tend to keep the menu flexible, mostly serving what’s freshest at the moment, some cooked grains paired with my fermented veggies. And healthy(ish) sweet treats, served with my home-brewed kombucha.

I’ve set notifications to water my heroic plants, whenever it’s needed—they’re tougher than most of my clients. And yes, I never underestimate a 10-minute power nap in between breaks.

In my short free time, I love to chase the wind-sculpted granite trail at Capo Testa, where turquoise sea crashes against rock in spectacular ways, or wander barefoot with “La Ninetta,” my mini four-legged companion, along Rena Bianca to Valle dell’Erica, breathing pine and salt.

That’s all for now, back to Orsola.

The Gourmet Traveler+

Rome in May is pure magic—here’re few suggestions on what’s worth the stroll. Let’s start with some photography exhibitions:

• Agnès Varda retrospective at Villa Medici (until 25 May): intimate photos and film stills that feel like stepping into someone’s very clever diary.

• World Press Photo 2026 at Palazzo Esposizioni (from 7 May): powerful stories that stop you in your tracks—bring tissues.

Check also this outdoor spots:

• Villa Borghese gardens for a shady bench and people-watching.

• Tiber riverside path at golden hour—romantic without the crowds.

• Loop the Gianicolo at sunrise for the whole city laid out like a private painting.

• Stroll the soft gravel of the Appia Antica under ancient pines, wildflowers and arches. History you can actually smell, with zero cars.

May sparkles with enchanting Infiorate — spectacular flower-carpet festivals, and the Open House Roma events. Between May 16 to 24, you’ll have free access to over 200 usually inaccessible sites, including private, historical, and contemporary buildings. And visit some of the museums at night.

These are wonderful opportunities to spend time with yourself or your loved ones, enjoying picnics fuori porta (literally translates as outdoor) and dreaming of summer vacations ahead.

The books we are reading

📚 Simona is reading L’orto auto-irrigante by Alessandro Ronca and Paolo Ermani (Italian only, sorry). It’s all about growing food with almost no water and zero back-breaking work—perfect for city balconies or countryside plots.

English speakers: check Gardening Without Irrigation by Steve Solomon or Water-Wise Gardening guides. In 2026, with Italian summers getting drier every year, being smart about water isn’t trendy—it’s survival with style.

📚 Orsola went back —for inspiration— to Laurie Colwin’s Home Cooking.

“I flip it open at random for English-writing prompts and instant comfort. This month’s gem is from the chapter “Easy Cooking for Exhausted People.”

“Three meals a day seven days a week, even if you love to cook, is enough to get a person down, especially if the person has anything else to do such as pick a child up from school, write a novel, have time for such a necessities as shopping, to say nothing of keeping up with friends and an occasional conversation with one’s mate. Therefore it is smart to have under your belt a few really easy things that virtually cook themselves.”

Something to meditate about!

The Recipes Corner

Staying in “effortless mode,” here are some of our easy peasy vegan and gluten free recipes, all ready in minutes.

• The Hummus —from the classics to variations on the theme— to enjoy with crackers, piadine or crudités…

• here’s the ultimate Italian veggie dip: the Pinzimonio, with a bit of history;

• Or opt for this Panzanella , a stale bread + veggie salad that works wonders for emotional comfort and, unquestionably, for sustenance.

On the whole, keep it organic, local, and stupidly simple. Buy whatever looks gorgeous at the local market. Big-batch chop salads with whatever’s in season. Herbal teas (fennel or chamomile) or infuse water with cucumber and lemon, after yoga practice are heaven.

When in Rome…

What to grab in May at the Roman farmer’s market? Fava beans or sweet peas still in the pod, the first real strawberries, those ridiculous agretti (monk's beard) and the first local cherries screaming “summer is coming.”

At specialty spots like Piazza Vittorio you’ll also discover Italy’s quietly tropical side: creamy avocados, passion fruit and dragon fruit thriving on Sicily’s sunny slopes, mangoes and annona (cherimoya) from Calabria’s warm coasts… The beauty of eating “exotic” has never felt so proudly Italian.

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That’s all for now, thank you for reading this far—you deserve a medal (or at least another spritz). Forward this to a friend who needs more plants and fewer worries.

Meanwhile, make sure to subscribe here on Substack, to follow us on Instagram, and on Facebook.

See you in June, here on Substack, or on a Sardinian beach. And wishing you a month filled with flowers, flavor, and joy under the May sky.

Baci e abbracci, con tanti saluti… XO your Simona & Orsola