Domicile of Leo Winter and Samuel Brull

In this house lived Leone Winter, a Polish Jew interned in San Donato from 1942 to 1944. Leone was a carpenter, appreciated by the people of San Donato because he made wooden clogs in the style in use in his nation. Through these small crafts Leone managed to scrape together a few lira and survive the economic hardships of wartime. As an internee he was forbidden to work, and thus make clogs, since he was on the small subsidy reserved for refugees. In 1943, Samuel Brull, a Polish Jewish intern, also moved into Leone's apartment.

Lion Winter

Born in Lodz, Poland, on May 23, 1910, he entered Italy illegally on May 2, 1940, to escape Nazi persecution. On August 7, 1940 he was arrested in Trieste. On August 30 he was interned in the camp at Ferramonti di Tarsia (Cosenza). On September 17, 1942, the authorities decided to transfer him to San Donato. In the village he was related to Mr. and Mrs. Adler and the Tenenbaum family, all Jewish internees who lived near his home. During the German occupation (1943-1944) he managed to escape capture and deportation to Auschwitz. In 1945 he wanted to write to the municipality to thank them for the help he had received: "[...] I am now in Poland and I beg you to let [the other internees] know my address. Many greetings to all Sandonatesi. A thousand thanks to all who helped me during the time of my internment."

Lion's hooves

During his two years in San Donato, Leone Winter made numerous clogs, called by the people of San Donato patitë (from "patito," a medieval word in use in Venice). Helping him was the carpenter Ottorino Quintiliani, who did not denounce him but took him to work in his workshop on Via Napoli. From then on, the patites took the place of the ciocie, becoming the new footwear of the poorest. Leone was nicknamed "P'cchittë" (Little Woodpecker) by his friends, from the noise he made when he worked, because it was reminiscent of that of the woodpecker, the bird that "beats" on the bark of trees. Sandonese carpenters produced this type of clog until the early 1970s.

Samuel Brull

Samuel was born in Kalisz, Poland, on May 14, 1910. A medical graduate from Parma, he was interned in Campagna (Salerno) concentration camp on June 23, 1940, in Ferramonti di Tarsia (Cosenza) camp on June 26, and in San Donato Val di Comino on March 4, 1943, because his aunt, Chane Feldhorn, asked for family reunification. Samuel had a confrontation with some local youths. According to a report by public security authorities, it appears that it was not due to racial reasons, but to a sentimental matter where the object of contention was a beautiful Yugoslav girl, who was also interned. This was the only occasion of confrontation between Sandonatese and the internees. During the German occupation Samuel managed to escape arrest because the Sandonatesi helped him hide in a cave in the mountains, in the Vorga locality.