It’s Friday! Which means it’s time for the second Edition of our news series #ItaloFiles. This weekly post covers the most captivating recent stories about Italy, Italian Americans and the Italophile community. This week’s highlights include bans on dog barking and on Nutella. Read on for the fascinating details!

The town of Controne in the southern region of Campania has banned dog barking between 2pm and 4pm in the afternoon, the time of the riposo – the post-lunch nap many Italians take. Dog owners now face fines from 20 to 500 Euros. Dog owners beware of the fine print: the law also requires that any dogs that are tied up must have access to food and water. Perhaps these distractions will help keep them quiet?

In Treviso, it’s also is a dog-eat-dog world. On one of the many hot days in Italy, a bar patron was charged 30 cents for a cup of tap water for his dog. He shared the receipt on social media where it went viral. The bar owner’s defense was that the charge was not for the water but for the price of the cup and service charge. Since we’re keeping tabs, perhaps you can pay dogs for their eat-anything-off-the-floor dog cleaning services!

France’s Ecology Minister Ségolène Royal recently urged French residents to stop eating Nutella. The reason behind this request is that the popular spread contains palm oil and that the deforestation of the areas that source palm oil is causing climate change. The Ferrero company immediately issued a statement saying that they only use “100 percent certified sustainable palm oil.” So you can go back to eating your Nutella straight out of the jar like the rest of us!

Despite Royals statement, Giovanni Ferrero, chief executive of Ferrero International, the family-owned chocolatier behind Kinder, Ferrero Rocher and Nutella, is making moves to spread the brand further. Ferrero is in talks to acquire the UK brand Thorntons, a  retail chocolate brand known for their chocolate pralines. Some say that Thorntons has lost its way and the aquisition would offer a chance to reclaim its identity.

In other food news, the European Union has requested that Italy reconsider its ban on powdered and condensed milk in cheese production. The EU cites economic motivations behind its recommendation, stating that refusal to utilize the non-fresh milk products in cheese production constitutes “a restriction on the free movement of goods.” How do you think this went over with Italian artisanal cheesemakers? If you think they responded with variations on “Vaffa!” you’re pretty much right. Not surprisingly, Italians see the EU’s statement as an attack on their culture and value of quality food products.

Roberto Moncalvo, president of Coldiretti, which represents agricultural producers, said, “We are facing the umpteenth diktat from Europe. Even though the EU is wavering in front of unprecedented emergencies such as immigration, it is ready to support the lobbyists who want to force us to lower the quality of our food produce.” Slow Food USA has created a petition on change.org to prevent this from happening. It ends this month, so hurry up and sign it!

At the Giffoni International Film Festival this week, the short film titled “Selfie” premiered. State Police chief Barbara Barra used this film as an opportunity to educate viewers on an increase in car accidents in Italy. I know what you’re thinking — it’s not because drivers missed their riposo due to loud barking dogs. The increase in accidents stems from drivers taking selfies while driving, a subject the eponymous film addresses. In her speech before the première she advised them to educate themselves on road safety, which is a piece of advice all Italians may want to heed, if you put any stock in their reputation for reckless driving.

Last week Umbria Jazz went goo goo for Gaga! She performed jazz standards with Tony Bennett at the festival in Perugia for sold-out audiences. Many have questioned Gaga’s choice to “celebrate being classic”, as she calls it. Some say such a drastic change of genre is just a gimmick for an artist that may be hitting the end of her stardom. However, is it really a gimmick if the music is actually really good? Just watch her Sound of Music tribute. You’ll see that she still has her Gaga flair, but you’ll also start wondering why she hasn’t been doing this all along! Okay, you are now free to youtube stalk the videos of her new songs… until next Friday!