Viganella
Viganella is a frazione of Borgomezzavalle, a comune (municipality) in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 120 kilometres (75 mi) northeast of Turin and about 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwest of Verbania. It was a separate comune until 2016, when it was merged with Seppiana into the municipality of Borgomezzavalle.
Winter lighting[edit]
For its extreme landscape position, the town remains shadowed for 83 days per year, between November and January. A giant mirror was set up in November 2006 with controlled orientation above the mountainside, consisting of 14 sheets of steel which together are 8 metres (26 ft) wide and 5 metres (16 ft) high. The mirror functions as a heliostat, tracking the Sun so that sunlight always reflects onto the town square.[1][2] The mirror cost €100,000, or approximately €540 per resident.[1]
The town was featured in a 2009 Italian/Canadian film called Lo Specchio (The Mirror).
According to a former mayor: "The idea behind the project doesn't have a scientific basis, but a human one. It comes from a desire to let people socialise in winter when the town shuts down due to the cold and the dark."[3]
See also[edit]
- Rjukan, a town in Norway also uses mirrors to illuminate the town.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Brilliant idea: mirror lights up village". The Times, UK. 12 November 2006.
- ^ BBC picture
- ^ Raffaelli, Giacomo (18 June 2021). "How the Town of Viganella Italy Used a Giant Mirror to Redirect Sunlight". www.vice.com. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
External links[edit]
- Trailer for 'Lo Specchio'
- Articles about Lighting Solution: Article 1, Article 2
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