I am Northern Italian (Veneto region) and my last name doesn't end in a vowel. A lot of Northern Italians last names don't end in vowels. Some Northern Italians also even have blonde hair, red hair, and more fair colored skin. It is a myth that all Italians have olive skin, names end in a vowel, and black hair. Italy is a large country that extends from the Mediterranean in the south to the Alps on the border that Italy shares with Switzerland.

There is also poverty in Northern Italy (although not as widespread as in the South) and a lot of Northern Italians fled poverty to the United States as well (my family being one to leave Veneto region to immigrate to New Jersey for a better life.)

The one famous gangster I can think of that was Northern Italian was Greg "The Grim Reaper" Scarpa.