Innovation Where The Sun Don't Shine

"Since December, a 40- square-meter, or 430-square-foot, mirror placed on a mountainside above Viganella has been deflecting the sun's rays into the town square, bringing sunlight, of a sort, in winter."

"There has not exactly been a run on sunglasses, and pale complexions still predominate here, but the locals seemed pleased with their artificial sun."

"'It's not like it generated much heat,' said Paola Ghensi, a housewife. 'But it did make you want to stop and chat in the square for five minutes longer, instead of bolting straight home.'"

"The mirror — 870 meters, or 2,900 feet, above Viganella and measuring 8 meters wide by 5 meters high — is motorized and constantly tracks the sun. Computer software tilts and turns the panels throughout the daylight hours to deflect the rays downward. But from Viganella's main square, bathed in reflected sunlight, all that is visible of the false sun is a bright glare from the slope above."