Italy village gets an artificial sun

New Delhi: Mirror, mirror on the mountain, throw some sunshine on our fountain! That’s the song on everyone’s lips in a sleepy Italian village.

The 200-strong Viganella village has finally found its place under the sun, quite literally, due to a giant mirror.

The village, which is located in a steep valley, usually had to do without any sunlight in the winter months that last from November to February.

But that has changed now thanks to the village mayor Pierfranco Midali's novel idea.

Upon his insistence, villagers placed a giant mirror on the top of a mountain that now helps reflect the rays of the sun into the village square.

This technologically lit village is the first of its kind in the world.

The 16-feet by 26-feet wide mirror, laid on the Alpine mountainside, cost close to Rs 65 lakh. The idea seems replicable in other countries that face a similar problem. America, France and Canada have already made contact with Mayor Midali.