Pontius.
You make an interesting point about the ice cream parlours (well sort of).
Were the Italians here actually POW's in the strictest sense (yes, thread drift I know)?
While the Germans in my local area were under lock and key, the Italians were free to come and go as they pleased (there were only two italian camps close to me).
The only real restriction on the Italians was that they were not allowed alcohol, but they could quite happy stay with the locals for a Sunday roast!