Jessica Spiegel

Jessica fell in love with Italy on her first visit and has been channeling that affection into Italy travel guides for more than 15 years. She especially loves the stories food can tell us about a place. Living in often-rainy Portland, Oregon means Jessica is often in the mood for a steaming bowl of Tuscan ribollita. When not writing, she’s probably knitting. 

Latest Articles

Small bites with Modena balsamic vinegar

Everything You Need to Know About Modena Balsamic Vinegar

Modena balsamic vinegar is such a kitchen staple today that it’s hard to imagine that it was almost unheard of outside Italy until relatively recently. It’s only been about 40 years that the term became widely recognized in the United States, let alone recognized enough to be as ubiquitous, as it now is on grocery […]

up-close shot of milk being poured into coffee cup

The Ultimate Coffee Lovers Guide to the 7 Best Cafes in Bordeaux

There’s an undeniable romance to café scenes in cities all over France. When you’re sitting at a little café table, leisurely sipping coffee or nibbling a croissant, you’ll understand why “people watching” is such a popular French pastime. But if you’re more interested in what’s in your cup than who’s walking past, we’ve come up […]

Stroopwafel being pulled apart showing the delicious inside

Stroopwafels: All About This Iconic Dutch Sweet Treat ( + Where To Try!)

The stroopwafel perfectly encapsulates a culinary trend that we’ve seen many times before: the transformation of a simple, everyday treat into a highly sought-after culinary delight. You see it in the histories of typical Tuscan dishes like ribollita, French cassoulet, and even truffles—humble beginnings with a later elevation to haute cuisine. While this Dutch cookie may […]

Trying traditional dishes is one of the best things about traveling to Tuscany!

Gluten Free Florence: Complete Guide to Restaurants, Dishes & a GF App

Italy is a country where things like pasta and pizza can seem like crucial components of the national identity, so you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s maybe not the ideal destination for gluten-free travelers. Luckily, that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth! And that’s particularly true if your itinerary includes places where pizza and […]

Close up of white Sauternes wine in a glass with wine tears

Sauternes Wine: Why This Versatile White Wine Is a Must-Try

In the United States, sweet wines have had something of a bad reputation since about the 1980s, when cheaper versions of fine European dessert wines became popular. Those wines were often cloyingly sweet (and headache-inducing), so it’s no wonder people still tend to shy away from bottles in the sweet wine section of the store. […]

Food vendor slicing mortadella in Bologna, Italy, on a food tour

What is Mortadella? A Tale of Counterfeits, Pop Culture & One Delicious Snack

There are some Italian meats that need almost no introduction (lookin’ at you, prosciutto), but there’s so much more variety available for an antipasto plate in Italy and elsewhere—and not even prosciutto has a backstory that includes both Sofia Loren and a catchy 1970s US television jingle. That colorful tale belongs only to mortadella, the […]

Main square in Bologna, Italy, as seen from above

15 Best Things to Do in Bologna: A Checklist for Curious Travelers

Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, sits about 73 miles almost due north from Florence. Its population is slightly larger than Florence, but it doesn’t have the Tuscan capital’s world-famous reputation for art or history and so isn’t always on the radar of travelers in Italy. Unless, of course, you’re a foodie. In that […]