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What do you do if your village is nestled in a valley so steep it hardly gets any sunshine in the winter？
You put a mirror on the mountain to reflect the sun's rays into your main square， says the mayor of Viganella， 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.
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 Viganella's historic piazza.
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）.
“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 therapeutic —— there are several studies showing that the lack of sunlight leads to depression，” he said.
After initial scepticism， Viganella's residents are rallying behind the idea. “At the beginning people had doubts. But now everybody is enthusiastic，” said Midali.
Midali has been contacted by local authorities with similar problems in Canada， the United States and France.“
Mayors from other “dark towns” have also been in touch. It's about time we also got a bit of sun，“ said Alberto Tosa， mayor of Saviore dell'Adamello in the Lombardy region.
Others have come up with a more drastic solution. In the Brembana valley， the mayor of Sedrina wants to “saw off” the top of the surrounding hill， cutting it by about 25 metres， so that his small town can also have its place in the sun. |
如果你住的村子位於深谷之間，冬日裏幾乎見不到陽光，你該怎麼辦？
意大利維格尼拉鎮鎮長說：“你可以在山上安一面鏡子，將陽光線反射到大廣場上”。該鎮長已把這個方案呈報給意大利皮埃蒙特地區，等待批准。
“我們對方案獲得批准充滿信心，” 46歲的鎮長皮耶弗蘭克·米達利說，同時他還是一名火車司機。
維格尼拉村現有居民70人，村子位於深谷腹地。每年，從11月11日開始到第二年的2月2日，雖然意大利多數地區陽光充沛，維格尼拉村的村民卻無法享受日光。
在一位建築師朋友的幫助下，米達利開始籌備在山腰安裝一塊高5米寬8米的鏡子，隨著太陽移動，鏡子將其光線反射到村子裏那個古老的廣場上。
米達利說，這塊鏡子可以保證村子在“黑暗月份”裏，每天至少擁有6個小時陽光。據估計，該項目將耗資10萬歐元左右（12.3萬美元）。
“目前，村子裏一片荒涼。我們想在'黑暗'的冬季裏製造一塊陽光'綠洲'，它將有助於刺激這個貧困山村的旅遊業。”米達利說。
米達利同時說：“'鏡子'項目也會起到醫療作用。幾份研究表明，缺乏日光會讓人精神低靡”。
最初，維格尼拉村民對此項目表示懷疑，但現在大家都很支持。米達利說：“開始時，人們並不相信，可現在每一個人都很熱心”。
加拿大、美國和法國幾處地方政府已與米達利聯絡，他們也遭遇了類似“無光”問題。
另外，意大利其它幾個“黑暗城鎮”的市長也與他保持聯絡。阿爾巴托·托薩說：“我們享受陽光的時候到了。”阿爾巴托·托薩是意大利北部倫巴底地區薩維奧·德拉達米羅鎮的鎮長。
還有一些地區想出了更為徹底的解決辦法。塞德里拉鎮位於布倫博那山谷，鎮長想把周圍的山頂“鋸掉”25米，這樣小鎮也能得到陽光了。 |
