italian game d3?

Hi i play the italian game and i am a huge fan of IM andrew martin i have his dvds i follow him closely i was just wondering why he suggests d3 which seems really passive when you can just play d4 and get a foothold in the center i know d4 is a move after c3 in an evans gambit but it seems like it work just as smooth in a guccio piano i am ready through my italian game/evans gambit book and it says d4 isnt a bad move so honestly i really just wanna know why d3 the only place i ever here d3 is from IM Andrew martin

There is a really good DVD by Nigel Davies on Fritz Trainer on the Modern Italian in which advocates d3 and delaying castling. BTW the more usual move is 4...Nf6 (not 4...Qe7) and d3 makes even more sense because it defends White's hanging e-pawn.

I don't know about booked-up opponents expecting d4.  The c3-d3 treatment in the Italian has been more popular at the top levels for some time now, and is pretty much on par at even lower levels these days.  And of course, has always been right there in the Two Knights, what with 4.d3 protecting the pawn and all.

Kindermann did a well received video tutorial on the c3-d3 stuff a few years back.  Might want to check into that.

ill probably end up buying that book i am big on the italian game! thanks IM pfren and u just used Qe7 as an example i knew it was not a main line but i didnt think it matter because i was  looking at the d3 move rather than a line in entierity