The Popular Italian

When we are kids we are mostly taught to play 1.e4, and the first mate we see is the one with Bc4, Qh5 and Qxf7++. It looks like chess theory is turning back to its roots when the move 3.Bc4 was much more popular than 3.Bb5. Nowadays all top tournaments are full of Italian games, and it proves much more difficult for Black to achieve equality there than in some Marshall or Berlin variation of the Ruy Lopez. In the Italian, the focus of the battle is transposed from the opening to the middle game which requires from both sides good knowledge of typical plans and ideas - and thus a totally new concept