“Preserving the historical memory of a centuries-old heritage of culture and folk art was my uncle\u2019s ambition,” said Guido Neppi Modona, a distinguished jurist and former judge of the Constitutional Court, at the 2010 inauguration of the Ceramics Museum in Mondov\u00ec (Cuneo). Neppi Modona’s uncle was Marco Levi (1910\u20132001), a banker and director of a major ceramics company, remembered as the last Jew of the small Piedmont town. For decades, Levi took care of its Jewish heritage, beginning with its 18th-century synagogue.
\nDuring the dark days of Nazi-Fascist persecution, Levi was lucky enough to encounter Giovanni and Maria Vinai Castagnino, who sheltered him for a year and a half until the town\u2019s liberation. “There are no words enough to describe the kindness and generosity shown by the Castagnino family, who took me in for such a long time,” Levi would later recounted.
\nToday, at “his” Ceramics Museum, this story of bravery received high recognition: Giovanni and Maria Castagnino were posthumously awarded the title “Righteous Among the Nations.” This honor was promoted by Neppi Modona to pay a debt of gratitude to those who did not turn away and risked their lives for his uncle. A year earlier, in tribute to the \u201cRighteous\u201d couple, a pomegranate tree had already been planted at a local school.<\/p>\n
(Photo: targatocn.it)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"