Muscat melon (Cucumis melo)

Moscatello melon (Cucumis melo): an ancient Italian variety recently recovered, typical of the Cremona and Mantua areas.   The vigorous plant produces fairly large, round fruits, weighing up to 3 kg. The peel, segmented but not pronounced, is a glossy, light green, turning yellow as it approaches ripeness. The flesh, similar in color to avocado, ranges from bright green to yellow. It is fragrant and sweet, and particularly watery. The variety's disappearance was due to its extremely short shelf life; once picked, it deteriorates very quickly, making it unsuitable for mass distribution, but a treasure for home-grown produce. Moscatello requires adequate watering and well-tilled soil. An Italian heirloom worth preserving.

The discovery and recovery of this ancient variety is the work of Dr. Ettore Amadio of the “Stanga” Professional Institute for Agriculture in Cremona, who found it in Vicomoscano di Casalmaggiore (CR) from Mr. Mauro Albertoni.
Cultivated in the Mantua and Cremona area, there are traces of it since the 16th century, where it was consumed at the court of the Gonzagas and appears in numerous tapestries and very realistically in a painting by Caravaggio (Still Life with Fruit on a Stone Slab ca. 1603).