This Italian Town Uses Giant Mirror For Sunlight

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Viganella, a small village nestled in an Italian valley near the Swiss border, grapples with a unique challenge: prolonged darkness for three months each year

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Faced with a dwindling population due to the lack of sunlight, Mayor Franco Midali proposed an innovative solution in 1999: a giant mirror to reflect sunlight into the town square

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Architect Giacomo Bonzani, alongside engineer Gianni Ferrari, crafted an 8-meter-wide, 5-meter-tall mirror, which was installed in 2006

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Programmed to track the sun's trajectory, the mirror beams sunlight into the square for six hours a day

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Even though it is not as intense as direct sunlight, the reflected light offers warmth and illumination to homes and the town square

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The mirror is only used during the winter months and remains covered for the rest of the year

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This groundbreaking project, aimed at fostering socialization during the dark winter months, has not only brought practical benefits but also garnered international attention

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Silvia Camporesi, a multimedia artist, visited Viganella in 2020 and documented the mirror's impact, emphasizing its human-centric approach

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Viganella's success has also inspired similar initiatives such as the installation of a mirror in Rjukan, Norway, in 2013

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