http://www.amusingplanet.com/2012/07/viganella-italian-village-that-brought.html

 Viganella, the Italian Village that Brought the Sun Down to the Valley
By Kaushik Sunday, July 29, 2012  Europe, Travel

Viganella is a small village in Italy located at 
the bottom of a deep valley some 130 km north of 
Milan. All seems fine in Viganella except that 
the village is located on the wrong side of a steep 
mountain. The valley is so deep that the surrounding 
mountains cast a long shadow over the entire village 
completely blocking the sun for three long months 
during the winter. On 11 November the sun disappears 
and does not reappear until 2 February. "It's like 
Siberia," one of the village's nearly 200 residents said.

For centuries, villagers have accepted their 
fate, until recently, when a local engineer and 
architect came up with a brilliant idea: use a 
mirror to reflect sunlight into the village.

In 2005, with the support of Pierfranco Midali, 
the mayor of Viganella, 100,000 Euros were raised 
and the construction of the mirror started. In 
November 2006, the 40 square meters mirror, weighting 
1.1 tons, was installed on the opposite slope of 
the mountain at an altitude of 1,100 meters. Of 
course, the mirror is too small to light up the 
whole town so Viganella's main square in front of 
the church was chosen. The mirror is computer-operated 
that follows the sun's path throughout the day 
reflecting sunlight onto the village square half a 
mile away and lighting up an area of 300 square yards 
for at least six hours a day.

Picture:
After the mirror was installed, a positive change came 
over the mood and behaviour of the inhabitants. Pierfranco 
Midali, the mayor, gives one example related to the Sunday 
Mass: "Iin winter time, people usually go back home right 
after the end of it, as opposed to the summer. But when, 
thanks to the mirror, the sun shined on the church and 
the village square, people did stay outside to visit
and talk with each other."

Viganella’s mirror has drawn attention of millions of people around the world since it was installed six years ago.

================
http://twistedsifter.com/2012/02/village-builds-giant-mirror-to-combat-darkness/
Twisted Sifter website

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVdbuXFv0qg
THe David Pakman Show

http://whenonearth.net/viganellas-giant-artificial-sun/
When On Earth website