Sun will Finally Shine in Viganella during winter

[Mave]

Viganella is a small town in Italy whose inhabitants dread arrival of the winter season. The reason being that each year for 84 days in a row, the sun would not shine in the town as it went behind the 1,600-Meter high mountain that covered the town. The 197 inhabitants were plunged into a near darkness and just waited for the 84 days to pass so that they can once again feel the heat of the sun. With the sun not shining in the town the inhabitants lived a depressed life a scenario which docs call the 'Seasonal Affective Disorder' or SAD. But finally their pain has been heard of and the authorities have just installed a 8-meter wide and 5-meter tall mirror that has been installed on a mountain so that it can reflect the sun's light on to the town for approximately 8 hours every day.

The gargantuan sun mirror is made of an eight-by-five meter (26x16ft) sheet of steel and positioned above a nearby peak to reflect sun rays onto Viganella's main square. This enormous mirror is completely operated by a computer that regularly tracks sun's path. As this hamlet is situated in the deep bottom of the valley, thus the mountains in the vicinity also cut off direct sunlight. The inhabitants of the town have now begun to smile and have had huge parties to celebrate the first winter sun in the 800 years of the existence of the town. All thanks to the project completed at a cost of 100,000 euros (£67,110), financed by some regional authorities and a bank.

Source: http://www.gizmowatch.com/entry/sun-will-finally-shine-in-viganella-during-winter/

 

[SovareZza]

Those 200 inhabitants could have moved to a better town, and that money could have been used on better things.

IMHO waste of monies.

 

[Stybar]

IMHO waste of monies.

Dunno if it's going to be enough, but being the only town that relies on mirrors for sunlight must draw some tourists. Again, I don't know if it's going to be enough to pay back the huge costs of this monstrosity, but it should bring up something.

 

[SovareZza]

Dunno if it's going to be enough, but being the only town that relies on mirrors for sunlight must draw some tourists. Again, I don't know if it's going to be enough to pay back the huge costs of this monstrosity, but it should bring up something.

I had never heard of this town until Mave posted this topic, so it mustn't be doing very well.
Although, I don't really pay attention to Geography.

Was the money loaned or was it, for lack of a better word, a gift?
Even so, as you said, it is the only town in the world that requires a mirror for sunlight, so perhaps they will receive plenty of tourism. I still think it's a waste of money though.