Rice has been cultivated in the lands of the Gonzaga family since the 16th century, but it was only in the late 19th century that the first varieties were established, named Nostrale, Ostiglia, Novarese, and Leoncino. In 1901, the De Vecchi brothers from Vialone (Pavia) developed the Vialone Nero. This excellent, large-grained variety spread throughout Verona, Rovigo, and eventually Mantua.

The next significant milestone came in 1925 when the Experimental Station for Cereal Cultivation in Vercelli crossed Vialone with Nano. The new rice retained the Vialone’s organoleptic qualities but was smaller. Over time, Vialone Nano gradually became a staple of the Mantuan region.

Over the years, rice paddies have diminished (now covering between 700 and 1500 hectares), and the arduous work of the *mondine* (female rice paddy workers) has disappeared, though the processing technique remains largely unchanged. The rice is threshed, dried, hulled to remove the husk, and polished. The more intense the polishing, the whiter, shinier, and less starchy the rice becomes—but it also loses much of its flavor, aroma, and nutritional value. Given the same raw material, the milling process is crucial in determining rice quality.