Italian rices Though long-grain rice is grown in Italy, “Italian rices” refers to the varieties used in traditional Italian dishes such as risotto. Italian rices are medium- to short-grain japonicas and include arborio, baldo, carnaroli, lido, roma, rosa marchetti, and vialone nano. Italian rices are graded according to quality, the best quality being superfino, then fino, semi-fino, and originario o commune.