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Mirror offers Italy 'dark town' a ray of sunshine
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W hat 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.
(Agencies)
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如果你住的村子位于深谷之间， 冬日里几乎见不到阳光，你该怎么办？
意大利维格尼拉镇镇长说："你可以在山上安一面镜子,将阳光线反射到大广场上"。该镇长已把这个方案呈报给意大利皮埃蒙特地区，等待批准。
"我们对方案获得批准充满信心，" 46岁的镇长皮耶弗兰克·米达利说,同时他还是一名火车司机。
维格尼拉村现有居民70人，村子位于深谷腹地。每年，从11月11日开始到第二年的2月2日，虽然意大利多数地区阳光充沛，维格尼拉村的村民却无法享受日光。
在一位建筑师朋友的帮助下，米达利开始筹备在山腰安装一块高5米宽8米的镜子，随着太阳移动，镜子将其光线反射到村子里那个古老的广场上。
米达利说，这块镜子可以保证村子在"黑暗月份"里，每天至少拥有6个小时阳光。据估计，该项目将耗资10万欧元左右（12.3万美元）。
"目前，村子里一片荒凉。我们想在'黑暗'的冬季里制造一块阳光'绿洲'，它将有助于刺激这个贫困山村的旅游业。"米达利说。
米达利同时说："'镜子'项目也会起到医疗作用。几份研究表明， 缺乏日光会让人精神低靡"。
最初，维格尼拉村民对此项目表示怀疑，但现在大家都很支持。米达利说："开始时，人们并不相信，可现在每一个人都很热心"。
加拿大、美国和法国几处地方政府已与米达利联系，他们也遭遇了类似"无光"问题。
另外，意大利其它几个"黑暗城镇"的市长也与他保持联系。阿尔巴托·托萨说："我们享受阳光的时候到了。"阿尔巴托·托萨是意大利北部伦巴底地区萨维奥·德拉达米罗镇的镇长。
还有一些地区想出了更为彻底的解决办法。塞德里拉镇位于布伦博那山谷，镇长想把周围的山顶"锯掉"25米，这样小镇也能得到阳光了。
(中国日报网站编译) |
Updated: 2006-02-08 09:20
