“No bitcha to me.”

Furio Giunta was the one member of the Soprano crew who was literally a son of Italy. A native of Naples, Furio was in the employ of elderly mob boss Zio Vittorio when he came to Tony’s attention. In Naples to broker a deal for stolen Mercedes, Tony got to witness Furio’s professional skills up close: during an incident where it appeared that gunshots were being fired at Zio Vittoria, Furio unhesitatingly shielded the old man with his own body. When it turned out that the “gunshots” were only errant firecrackers lobbed by a teenager, Furio and his comrades severely beat the boy anyway. Impressed by this display of loyalty and ferocity, Tony imported Furio to New Jersey and installed him at Artie Bucco’s restaurant. As far as the INS was concerned, Furio was a highly skilled mozzarella maker. To people who owe Tony Soprano money, he was a pony-tailed nightmare.

As it turned out, Furio’s stay in the States was not a long one. Although he became a valued member of Tony’s crew, he was never fully at home in the Garden State. In addition, he found himself in an impossible personal predicament; he had fallen in love with Carmela Soprano. On a trip home for his father’s funeral, Furio’s uncle advised him that he had two options: he could either stay away from Carmela . . . or kill Tony. Furio made his choice. He returned to the New Jersey long enough to put his house on the market, then took a one-way flight back to Italy. He hasn’t been heard from since.