Which chili peppers does one use in arrabbiata sauce?
"Arrabiata" is the Italian word for angry...angry sauce,which is the literal translation for sugo all'arrabiata the spicy Italian tomato based sauce to which you refer.  The spiciness comes from dried red chili. In Italy these red peppers are often referred to as peperoncini.  You would likely get the effect you were looking for by using good quality dried red pepper flakes.

This question and response addresses Italian peppers.