As I posted in that thread for Philly I'm sure Chickie who is in his 80s is first generation and probably grew up in an Italian speaking house. I mentioned possibly Joe Ligambi who I know had immigrant parents, Possibly George also since I know his brother is always at the old timers cafe that got busted a year back where everyone speaks Italian.
That's very interesting that the Borgesi's could possibly speak Italian, I would have never thought that in a million years. I am also surprised about Joe Ligambi too.
I am 2nd generation Italian and I read/speak Venetian dialect from just spending A LOT of time with my old timer relatives. My Grandpa immigrated from a dirt poor rural mountain village in the Veneto region. Its hard for me to understand Southern Italian dialects, which is mainly what you hear here in New Jersey and New York...
