Italian woman picked up as 28's frequent companion (7)
I believe the answer is:
claudia
'italian woman' is the definition.
(common Italian woman's name)
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
(Other definitions for claudia that I've seen before include "name for women" , "Female" , "woman" , "- Schiffer, Ger. model" , "Girl's name; CIA dual (anagram)" .)