This is PGI Mantuan melon country: the Po floodplains around Viadana yield perfumed fruit that fills lowland market stalls from June to August. Prosciutto and melon here is no cliché: it is literal zero-kilometre eating.
The Viadanese table completes the picture with Po valley flavours: cured meats, tortelli pasta and the light wines of the sandy banks. And in summer, a cold slice of melon on the riverbank is worth any restaurant dessert.