Viganella's sun mirror breaks after 18 years, plunging village into shadow

Viganella, a small Piedmontese village in the Antrona Valley, has been without direct sunlight from November 11 to February 2 each year for centuries. In 2006, then-mayor Franco Midali, a railway worker and visionary, collaborated with architect Giacomo Bonzani to install a 40-square-meter mirror on the mountain behind the village. The mirror, weighing 11 quintals and costing €99,900, was transported by helicopter and programmed to rotate, reflecting sunlight into the main square during the dark winter months. It became a celebrated tourist attraction and a symbol of ingenuity. However, in December 2024, Artribune reported that the mirror has broken due to an electronic malfunction likely caused by a power surge. It has been immobile since at least winter 2023, leaving the village in darkness. The current mayor has prioritized other community needs, delaying repairs. The article, written by photographer Silvia Camporesi, recounts her visit in January 2021, describing the mirror's operation and a secondary reflection system that directs light onto the church altar's crucifix. Camporesi compares the installation's poetry to works by Olafur Eliasson. The mirror is expected to be repaired eventually.