The Godfather set the standard, then Hollywood lore just adopted the theme. It became common for writers to just refer to Italian gangsters as "Sicilians". Scorsese mostly avoided it. Just a quick line where Henry Hill talks about his mother and then later about being made. The Sopranos went the opposite direction and made a point of Tony's Neapolitan background, which I agree was a refreshing take for movies or television.
"...the successful annihilation of organized crime's subculture in America would rock the 'legitimate' world's foundation, which would ultimately force fundamental social changes and redistributions of wealth and power in this country. Meyer Lansky's dream was to bond the two worlds together so that one could not survive without the other." - Dan E. Moldea
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