Viganella in 2005. Viganella is a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' of

Borgomezzavalle Borgomezzavalle is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Valle Antrona, Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont. As of 2019 the population was 320. It was established on 1 January 2016 by the merger of the municipalities of ...

, a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola The province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (, ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Piedmont region of Italy. It was created in 1992 through the fusion of three geographical areas which had previously been part of the province of Novara. The ar ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

, located about northeast of

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

and about northwest of

Verbania Verbania (, , ) is the most populous ''comune'' (municipality) and the capital city of the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. It is situated on the shore of Lake Maggiore, about north-west of Milan and ab ...

. It was a separate ''

'' until 2016, when it was merged with

Seppiana Seppiana is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' (municipality) of Borgomezzavalle in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northwest of Verbania. On 1 January 2016, it wa ...

into the municipality of

Winter lighting

Due to the high ridge to the south, the town remains shadowed for 83 days per year, between November and January. A giant

mirror A mirror, also known as a looking glass, is an object that Reflection (physics), reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror forms an image of whatever is in front of it, which is then focused through the lens of the eye or a camera ...

was set up in November 2006 with controlled orientation above the mountainside, consisting of 14 sheets of steel which together are wide and high. The mirror functions as a

heliostat A heliostat () is a device that reflects sunlight toward a target, turning to compensate for the Sun's apparent motion. The reflector is usually a plane mirror. The target may be a physical object, distant from the heliostat, or a direct ...

, tracking the Sun so that

sunlight Sunlight is the portion of the electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by the Sun (i.e. solar radiation) and received by the Earth, in particular the visible spectrum, visible light perceptible to the human eye as well as invisible infrare ...

always reflects onto the

town square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

."Brilliant idea: mirror lights up village". ''The Times'', UK. 12 November 2006.
/ref>BBC picture
/ref> The mirror cost €100,000, or approximately €540 per resident. 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."

References

External links

Trailer for 'Lo Specchio'
* Articles about Lighting Solution
Article 2
Frazioni of Borgomezzavalle Former municipalities of the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola {{Authority control Cities and towns in Piedmont

Winter lighting

See also

References

External links