Always hear zips being mentioned with the likes of the Gambinos etc.

Hear the likes of Gravano calling them greaseballs which I thought would not be acceptable!

Are there many families that still have a fair amount of Sicilian/Italian born members?

Also is there some ill feeling between the Americans & the zips?

The Bonannos and the Gambinos still have them, but it's nothing like it used to be. I see a lot of posters talk like it's the '70s lol

Detroit have the D'Anna brothers. The Decavalcantes have some zip from Ribera. The Colombos have an italian members that was broke and went to italy fo the free cures.

In my opinion, the Zips are and will be the only thing that keeps the American Mafia alive. In fact I think it's a safe bet that all the 5 families and the DeCavalcantes are going back to their Sicilian roots. When it all boils down, the "American" Mafia is an Italian export, and it's going to take authentic, true Mafiosi from the old country to keep this thing alive. The mob has suffered mostly from a dried up recruitment pool, suburbanized watered-down assimilated 4th generation Italian-Americans make lousy mobsters.

How did he get to Italy? Round-trip it costs 5 or 6 grand.

I wouldn't be surprised if in future American indictments in regards to IOC we see more Italian-born Sicilian, Calabrian, and maybe even Neapolitan mobsters vs. American-bred wiseguys as they're all dying out into total extinction.

This topic is something I have been pondering lately as well.
Bonannos and gambinos have historically had the strongest ties back to Sicily.
The Colombo and lucchese families have never had any they both r true Americanized families and I doubt now that some of there members can even speak Italian let alone the respect to start talks with Italian OC at all.

The Rizzutos in MTL have always maintained connections back to cattolica eraclea.
Leonardo was there in 2019 just after death of Domenico terrasi possible he met with Giuseppe mormina or the powers that be in that family.

A very prominent zip of the Lucchese family was Rosario Naimo in the 70s the Luccheses had plenty of sicilian members. Last wave of immigrants to NYC came in the 60s and 70s. But since '74 the economy in Italy improved and mass immigration came to a near halt.
Immigration to Canada however has been going on much longer.

Naples-New York in economy even 300 or 400 euros.

Until 1970s the criminals would made more $$$ in America then with the heroin ttade in italy the big money can be easly made in the fatherland. Maybe the american mob should recruit many camorristi that for sure would be happy to made money in italy than die for few cents in italy.

Members of the Gambino and Bonanno Families go back and forth from Sicily to America as documented by law enforcement. Sure it doesn't make headlines but if you do some digging you can see it. Who knows what else is going on that hasn't even been revealed due to law enforcement not wanting to jeopardize investigations. I still stand firm in my belief that the American Mafia is going to continue strengthening ties to the motherland. We just don't have an adequate number of Joeys and Anthonys anymore to fill the ranks, instead it will be Giuseppes and Antoninos 😆

There are a lot of Sicilians in New York who are connected to Gambinos , i don't think they are made members , but they are huge in construction.

They're probably either made in Cosa Nostra back in Sicily or made Gambino members in America. Regardless if they're made or not, they're still part of the network. I don't get hung up on buttons anymore, it actually benefits the Mafia more to have non-made members or clean names especially when it comes to money laundering and business infiltration.

It's true that they're making a killing in Italy, but with so much money and seizures they have to spread it around the globe, they'd be like sitting ducks stuck in one country, a country that's all too familiar with the Mafia, if they stayed put. It's better to expand and spread like wildfire, open businesses elsewhere and keep low profiles.