What do you do if your village is nestled in a valley so steep it hardly gets any sunshine in the winter. （1）You put a mirror on the mountain to reflect the sun's rays into your main square, says the mayor of Viganella(维格尼拉), who has just presented the project to Italy's Piedmont region for approval.
We are very hopeful that we'll get the go-ahead. The next problem will be to find the money," said the mayor Pierfranco Midali, a 46-year-old train driver. The village of Viganella, with population of only 70, lies in the belly of a valley so sheer that each year, from November 11 to February 2, its inhabitants are deprived of the sunlight that normally drenches much of Italy.
（2）Helped by an architect friend, Midali has drawn up a plan to install a 5-metre (16-foot) high, 8-metre (26-foot) wide mirror on the mountainside that would track the sun's movement and reflect its rays into the village.
The mirror, he says, would guarantee at least six hours of sunlight per day during the "dark" months. The estimated cost of the project is around 100,000 euros ($123,000).
（3）"Right now the square is deserted. We want to create an oasis of sunshine in the darkness of winter. It would help stimulate tourism in our valley, which is poor," he said.
"It would also be theutic -- there are several studies showing that the lack of sunlight leads to depression," he said.

Helped by an architect friend, Midali has drawn up a plan to install a 5-metre (16-foot) high, 8-metre (26-foot) wide mirror on the mountainside that would track the sun's movement and reflect its rays into the village.

What do you do if your village is nestled in a valley so steep it hardly gets any sunshine in the winter. （1）You put a mirror on the mountain to reflect the sun's rays into your main square, says the mayor of Viganella(维格尼拉), who has just presented the project to Italy's Piedmont region for approval.
We are very hopeful that we'll get the go-ahead. The next problem will be to find the money," said the mayor Pierfranco Midali, a 46-year-old train driver. The village of Viganella, with population of only 70, lies in the belly of a valley so sheer that each year, from November 11 to February 2, its inhabitants are deprived of the sunlight that normally drenches much of Italy.
（2）Helped by an architect friend, Midali has drawn up a plan to install a 5-metre (16-foot) high, 8-metre (26-foot) wide mirror on the mountainside that would track the sun's movement and reflect its rays into the village.
The mirror, he says, would guarantee at least six hours of sunlight per day during the "dark" months. The estimated cost of the project is around 100,000 euros ($123,000).
（3）"Right now the square is deserted. We want to create an oasis of sunshine in the darkness of winter. It would help stimulate tourism in our valley, which is poor," he said.
"It would also be theutic -- there are several studies showing that the lack of sunlight leads to depression," he said.