Basking in the Reflected Glory!

Italian village basks in reflected glory

Sun deprived people might consider moving to the northern Italian village of Viganella, where residents are now basking in sunlight thanks to a giant mirror. The village's 185 residents are normally plunged in chilly darkness during winter months as surrounding mountains cut off direct sunlight. Viganella Mayor Pierfranco Midali says he has been looking forward to the innovation since an architect friend began pondering ways to help the sun-challenged hamlet. I've waited for this moment for seven years," he told Italy's ANSA news agency. The village now has a towering mirror measuring eight metres by five metres installed on the flank of one bluff.

The mirror is computer-driven to follow the sun's path and cast its rays back on Viganella. The Mayor says the project, which cost almost 100,000 euro ($A167,000), has spawned envy from Swiss and other Italian mountain villages. "It wasn't easy, we had to find the proper material, learn abut the technology and especially find the money," he said.
- AFP

Source: ABC News Online