BrickStoneOven,
From what I have read I believe that is Italian for beer yeast. In the past the bakers used to get yeast from brewers, if they were not using wild. Commercially they bred the same strain to a "Super Strain" it evolves fast and is very hardy. So as far as commercial yeast goes the strain is pretty much the strain. In Italy I hear that they tend to sell more fresh in the stores as opposed to dry. The commercial yeast is so potent that refrigeration is needed to control the dough balls. If you want to experiment with yeast I would suggest picking up some real beer yeast. Most of it is the same strain but not as elite, it reacts much slower, like wild yeast. An 18 hour ferment at room temp is no problem. This type opens the window for experiments on long ferments.
Bob
