Italian Game Responses?

When someone plays the Italian Game they often try to attack f4 with their knight to do the Fried Liver attack forking your Queen and your Rook. When you see that, DON'T worry quickly take out your knight to support d5 and then play d5. This posses a threat on the "Italian bishop" and as far as I know it's the best counter attack. You might also like something as simple as h6, but I wouldn't play that.

A bunch of possibilities:
Starting Out: Open Games by GM Glenn Flear (2010)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626232452/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen134.pdf
Bologan's Black Weapons in the Open Games (2014)
http://www.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Bologans-Black-Weapons-in-the-Open-Games-76p3873.htm
The Kaufman Repertoire for Black & White by Larry Kaufman (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140626221508/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen162.pdf

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/955.pdf
Opening Repertoire: The Open Games with Black by Martin Lokander (2015)

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7546.pdf
Playing 1.e4 e5 - A Classical Repertoire by Nikolaos Ntirlis (2016)

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7572.pdf
http://www.qualitychess.co.uk/ebooks/Playing1e4e5-excerpt.pdf

The following games show ways to play against the Giuoco Piano where early moves for Black make sense, like:

Black's ...Bc5 for a similar position and doesn't allow any White Ng5 tricks that can happen with Two Knights Defense (...Nf6 before ...Bc5)

Black usually plays ...a6 for space for Bishop on c5 figuring on White's d4. Also may help ...b5 at some time.

Black usually plays ...Be6 questioning White's Bishop.

If White plays Bxe6, ...fxe6 often not so bad. Pawn now controls f5 and d5 where White might want to try to place Knight. (Black often looks to try for Knight on f4 or d4 also.)

After all the prep moves, often one side or the other tries to resolve the center. General rule seems to be that if Black can get ...d5 without pain, it's probably pretty close to equal.

I'm guessing if you play over these games a few times and figure out why Black is making each move, you won't mind the Italian Game much anymore.

Having trouble with Italian Game? Play the Sicilian! It avoids all those nasty double king pawn openings.

That is the most idiotic response possible.  Maybe she (I'm assuming based on picture and user name) has a rock solid response against the Ruy Lopez and wants to continue playing it and needs something against the Italian Game.

There are 3 legitimate responses to 3.Bc4.  The first, which it looks like she has played, is 3...Bc5, but there is a ton of theory.  Another with tons of theory, and one where you will die pretty quickly as Black if you don't know is, is the Two Knights Defense, which is 3...Nf6.  Again, TONS of theory.

I would suggest the Hungarian Defense (3...Be7).  It is C50 in ECO if I remember correctly, and there is some coverage of it in various books, like the Final Chapter of a book from about 12 or so years ago on the Italian Game and Evan's Gambit, the final chapter is on the Hungarian Defense.  It will teach you a lot of ideas in chess, especially knowing when to create a weakness in your own camp.  For example, often in the Hungarian Defense, Black will trade his e-pawn off on d4, and a couple of moves later, play ...c5, despite it leading to a backwards d-pawn for Black.

You can learn a lot about key squares, weaknesses (when they are bad, when they are no big deal), etc with the Hungarian Defense.

You could also try the Blackburne Shilling Gambit, which works pretty well against any fork ideas on f4:

https://www.chess.com/blog/Gpod/chess-trap-1-the-blackburne-shilling-gambit

I know that 3. ... Nd4 for black isn't always the best move but it does set a nice trap if your opponent takes on e5. You can play Qg5 next and your opponent might be in trouble. It has worked for me more often than I thought it would. 

https://web.archive.org/web/20140626192818/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen78.pdf

Try bc5 ( gluco paino) or simply h6. I mostly play h6, the 2nd choice is Bc5. If you can defend with confidence and later punish your opponent for his early aggression, h6 is the best.