Upcoming TMA Agrigento faction episode.

[Angelo Santino]

Eric and I are planning on this topic. I bumped a few threads for a refresher.

Anything our audience wants us to dive into? Suggestions?

[motorfab]

The connections with the Agrigentese mafia & Canada could be a good idea (but maybe you keep this for a eventual episode about Canada).

Also if you have something to bring about Gentile when he came back in Siculiana. I didn't read his bio in full so I don't know if he talked about it, but I suspect he was a sort of boss before the Caruanas-Cuntreras or at least a high ranking force.

[NothingNew44]

If you have the ability to do some genealogy stuff on New England history or any of the California Families that’d be great. For me, the way you guys worked the Philadelphia episode was really informative and fascinating. Food for thought on the topic suggestions.

[CornerBoy]

you're episodes are great!
Remind of who's who again? Obviously polacktony is tony.....

[MichaelGiovanni]

you're episodes are great!
Remind of who's who again? Obviously polacktony is tony.....

B is Eric
Angelo Santino is Angelo
Antiliar is Rick

[stubbs]

I know they’re not in the province of Agrigento, but it would be interesting to hear y’all discuss why Biscaquino seemed to be closer to Sciacca/Agrigento in the US as opposed to Corleone. Agrigento seemed to be mostly with Palermo city and the Gambinos, yet Corleone is like its own network within the US that ended up evolving into the Lucchese and Genovese.

Very facsinating considering the discussions around Vito Cascio Ferro who operated out of Bisacquino and sent Michael DiLeonardo’s grandfather to the Gambinos, yet VCF also was close with Giuseppe Morello who ran the precursors to the Lukes/Genovese.

Might be interesting to see what DiLeonardo thinks about all of that. Why didn’t his grandfather and other townsmen align with Morello’s network? Was it because VCF was closer to Palermo? Are there cultural reasons Bisacquino is closer to Agrigento than Corleone?

Then we have Ribera which like created it’s own family the DeCavs.

We then also have strong Agrigento networks in smaller cities like New Orleans and Tampa.

So many interesting things to potentially discuss!

[Angelo Santino]

If you have the ability to do some genealogy stuff on New England history or any of the California Families that’d be great. For me, the way you guys worked the Philadelphia episode was really informative and fascinating. Food for thought on the topic suggestions.

It's in Queue, we'll be interviewing our very own Antiliar/Rick for this one.

The connections with the Agrigentese mafia & Canada could be a good idea (but maybe you keep this for a eventual episode about Canada).

Also if you have something to bring about Gentile when he came back in Siculiana. I didn't read his bio in full so I don't know if he talked about it, but I suspect he was a sort of boss before the Caruanas-Cuntreras or at least a high ranking force.

We'll touch on him but he could warrant his own episode and (not to mention a documentary if I can swing it).

I know they’re not in the province of Agrigento, but it would be interesting to hear y’all discuss why Biscaquino seemed to be closer to Sciacca/Agrigento in the US as opposed to Corleone. Agrigento seemed to be mostly with Palermo city and the Gambinos, yet Corleone is like its own network within the US that ended up evolving into the Lucchese and Genovese.

Very facsinating considering the discussions around Vito Cascio Ferro who operated out of Bisacquino and sent Michael DiLeonardo’s grandfather to the Gambinos, yet VCF also was close with Giuseppe Morello who ran the precursors to the Lukes/Genovese.

Might be interesting to see what DiLeonardo thinks about all of that. Why didn’t his grandfather and other townsmen align with Morello’s network? Was it because VCF was closer to Palermo? Are there cultural reasons Bisacquino is closer to Agrigento than Corleone?

Then we have Ribera which like created it’s own family the DeCavs.

We then also have strong Agrigento networks in smaller cities like New Orleans and Tampa.

So many interesting things to potentially discuss!

Agreed, we may touch on it but Bisacquino could warrant its own episode and Eric and I can go back and forth, unscripted, over whether Cascio Ferro was Lupo or Morello. Up to this point we've really only discussed stuff we agree on which could be an interesting angle.

[stubbs]

Agreed, we may touch on it but Bisacquino could warrant its own episode and Eric and I can go back and forth, unscripted, over whether Cascio Ferro was Lupo or Morello. Up to this point we've really only discussed stuff we agree on which could be an interesting angle.

Oooh, that’d be an awesome episode idea! Would be a great episode to get DiLeonardo on there to discuss more about what he knows about the town and also other people he knows who immigrated from there. He could talk about when he met Joe N Gallo when he was young since their families are both from there. And if he knows anything about the Bisacquinese who were in the Gambino’s Baltimore faction.

I think the consensus here on the board from the people who research the families in Sicily seems to be that the Bisacquino family was under the Corleone family mandamento, but also that he family seems to no longer exist. It would be interesting to hear from Michael if he knows any of the history there, past or present.

Also, the town is famous for being the birthplace of the director Frank Capra. I remember reading somewhere that some of his relatives back in Bisacquino were invovled and he was embarassed about that, but who knows.

[B.]

Capra's uncle was apparently the boss.

I believe we did discuss some of that with DiLeonardo when he was on. Can't remember all the specifics.

Lower interior Palermo villages like Bisacquino and Palazzo Adriano didn't tend to fall into the Corleone network in the US mafia for whatever reason while others did.

[OmarSantista]

Is there a certain day of the week or every other week where we can expect new episodes to be up? or is it at randomly leisure

[AustraliaSteve]

If you’re discussing Agrigento in Canada, can you touch on Cattolica Eraclea a little? There’s some interesting connections there.

[B.]

It may take time for this episode to happen. I imagine it will be part of a series given how widespread Agrigento province was in American and Sicilian mafia history. There is plenty to cover.

[Antiliar]

Apparently it was Francesco Troncale, Capra's uncle, who was the Mafia boss. Jack Valenti, who headed the MFAA, was also from Bisacquino, or his parents were.

[Angelo Santino]

Capra's uncle was apparently the boss.

I believe we did discuss some of that with DiLeonardo when he was on. Can't remember all the specifics.

Lower interior Palermo villages like Bisacquino and Palazzo Adriano didn't tend to fall into the Corleone network in the US mafia for whatever reason while others did.

Err, later on no, but in the 1900's, there were other Bisacquinese like Boscarino who were part of Morello's group. Perhaps after Morello went to prison and the power shifted to D'Aquila that's where they started transferring. In the 1910's, the Villabate element was apparently Gambino, then when Profaci becomes boss and that's the family that becomes known for the Villabate connection. These changeovers obviously weren't planned or arranged but naturally occurred.

I'm trying to think of other examples but they mostly relate to the Gens and Lucs but they were one family before 1920 so Marineo going Luc isn't a good example.

DiLeonardo V was in the US early on, he would have been there when both Lupo and Morello were on the streets. D'Aquila arrived in 1906 much later than DiLeonardo. Yet the stories Michael relates is that his grandfather "came over with" D'Aquila. Obviously D'Aquila was a major figure in his grandfather's story and history which may have overshadowed earlier history.

Another thing to perhaps consider or speculate on, are the 1912 elections. In Feb, D'Aquila and LoMonte (and Mineo presumably) are elected bosses and then exactly one month later in March, DiGaetano steps down, Schiro is elected Boss and D'Aquila Boss of Bosses.
1 We don't know if Lupo's Family was "divided" between D'Aquila and Mineo or if Mineo started from scratch. It would be hard to believe but seeing as we can't confirm any members going from Lupo to Mineo later like we can with Lupo-D'Aquila we didn't jump to that conclusion.
2 In 1931, when new leaders were elected, there was a reshuffling of certain members being reassigned to other families. Perhaps something similar happened in the 1912 elections? We know members were able to transfer with more ease in those times.

[InCamelot]

It may take time for this episode to happen. I imagine it will be part of a series given how widespread Agrigento province was in American and Sicilian mafia history. There is plenty to cover.

Yeah it might be best to map this one out instead of purely riffing it.