got the following from he http://www.sfbi.com/bakers_tips.html -
Maintaining an Italian Starter
by Baking & Pastry Instructor
Jeffrey Yankellow

Often when baking sweet breads, the benefits of the acidity produced by a
sourdough starter are desirable, except for the sour flavor. The acidity
contributes to aromas, extended shelf life and dough strength. Colomba
Pasquale is a good example of this. In order to maintain a starter that fits
in these parameters, you need to follow a feeding schedule that favors mild
acid production and yeast activity.

The sourdough culture is maintained at a warm temperature (80 to 85°F) and
fed every 4 hours. The more frequent feedings prevent the acetic acid from
developing and the warmer temperatures favor lactic acid production. It is
more common to maintain a starter at 100% hydration for mild acidity, but
with the Italian starter, the hydration is 50%. The reason can be attributed
more to tradition than theory. When there was no way to control the
temperature of the room, the starter was fed every four hours and left at
room temperature. Then, during the period that no one was in the bakery, the
starter was wrapped tightly in a cloth and tied with a rope or string in a
way that allowed minimual room for expansion.

Forcing the starter to mature in this enclosed space produced a mild flavor.
For obvious reasons this method cannot be used with a liquid starter. If you
are unable to control the temperature of the starter, this method is
adequate. This style of starter is recommended for any sweet dough, such as
the Colomba, Panettone and croissants.

hope it helps

dan w

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Thank you TG.
> I belive you , though I would ilke to know the recipes of your Italian
> starters.
> and. I saw a picture from a book( artisan baking across America by
> Maggie Glezer)
> that shows "madre" which was bundled in cloth and tied in twine.and it
> say it's
> the Italian traditional way.
> Do you know what it is?
> That's why I thought the Italian one is different from the others.
>