Viganella
Viganella is a municipality with 166 inhabitants (as at 31 December 2012) in the Italian province of Verbano -Cusio -Ossola (VB ), Region Piedmont.
The municipality comprises the villages Rivera, Bordo and Cheggio and is located south of the Simplon Pass in the Valle Antona. The neighboring municipalities are Antona Schieranco, Calasca - Castiglione, Montescheno and Seppiana.
In Bordo is an international community with Tibetan Buddhist meditation center. Together with Cheggio the village in the list of European eco - village communities is listed.
By December 2006 was also Viganella, which lies in a valley between high mountains, as the darkest place in Italy. The two villages Bordo and Cheggio at an altitude of about 700 m are exact at the sun limit so that was for 83 days to see in winter no sun. With the construction of a solar mirror in 1100 meters height now go even during the dark period of the sun's rays into the resort center, so this is richer also a tourist attraction (see below).
Geography
The municipality covers an area of 13 km ².
History
Since earliest settlement to Viganella (probably from " Vulcanella " that is molten iron ) was already stated before Roman times, there are indications that the Antona Valley with his Passo Antigine (after Matt Mark - Saas -Almagell ) for more than two thousand years one of the most important ways connections between the Valais ( Helvetia ) and northern Italy was. This is evidenced also by the narrow valley floor terraced down to about 900 m with partly gigantic stone walls facing slopes of the community. More detailed studies of these walls have shown that at least some sections that are connected to a remarkable integrated into the kilometer- long walls way system, must have originated long before the Roman period ( Celtic settlement area ).
Population
The increased in most Piedmontese valleys since the Second World War, the rural exodus has taken on dramatic proportions in Viganella (see Ashenvale ). This has led to the abandonment of agricultural activities virtually any traditional provenance. Young people can not find meaningful work more ( the school was closed early nineties ) and the age demographic is key rocketed upwards accordingly and an aging population of valley can be seen.
As in the districts Bordo and Cheggio in the eighties predominantly people from Switzerland and Germany have made the decaying since the Second World War houses habitable again and now live there myself, the community Viganella has the highest proportion of foreigners in the whole Piedmont.
Demographics
Attractions
The Antona Lake in extending to the southwest branch of the upper Valle Antona was created by a massive landslide in the 16th century. The entire village Antronapiana was buried deep under his rock masses about 40 m, and where once were the pastures of the old Walser community, the natural dam was formed. He is a popular swimming lake today.
On the terraced mountain slopes above the village are still a large number of several hundred years old, meter-thick chestnut trees ( chestnuts ), the people in the valley of the basic service offered earlier with high-quality food. Even before regional tree protection regulations came into force, it was aware of in the community Viganella their cultural, historical and ecological value.
The Mirror Project
In Viganella the sun November 12 to February 1 does not rise above the mountain tops for 83 days. Therefore, the village was considered the darkest place in Italy. The residents celebrated the return of the sun on the second of February, just to Candlemas, with a procession and a big party. La Candelora, as it is called in town, the residents already celebrated for centuries, to greet the sun.
Already in November 2005 fell Viganella with the idea (more precisely, a heliostat ) to install a mirror on a mountain, in the international media. The project was initiated by Pierfranco Midali, the 45 -year-old mayor of the 200 -strong community. Now raises the mirror above the village the sunlight earlier on the Piazza, but the sun is hard of tradition and to remember the dark days, remain in any case.
The cost of the project in the amount of 100,000 euros were deposited by private donors and local organizations. The mirror was mounted on 1 December 2006 at 1100 meters altitude in Viganella. It consists of 14 individual mirrors made of stainless steel with a total area of 40 square meters and is five times eight meters. The mirror is electronically controlled to follow the path of the sun. This Viganella is the world's first village in winter has reflected sunlight. On 17 December 2006, the project was officially inaugurated with a big folk festival attended by numerous visitors and journalists.
However, only a small part of the village is illuminated. The size of the mirror is enough only to highlight the piazza, the rest of the village remains in the shade. It reflects not only the light of the sun, but also 80 percent of the non- visible spectrum, resulting in a noticeable warming of the place.
In addition to the light and heat effect, which gives the residents a bright and warm corner in the communication center of the village, promises you look through the object and an increase in tourism attractiveness.
In summer, the mirror should not be used during the day in order to achieve no unnatural effect. Another attraction is, however, thought to reflect the moon, which is for three months can not be seen in the summer in the city. This would be combined with astronomy courses.