(some of you might like this story from a few years back)

Village beats winter blues with giant mirror

It might be just the answer for Britons with the winter blues.

While we are all shivering and counting the days till summer, the residents of Viganella in Italy are basking in sunlight thanks to a giant mirror.

The village's mayor, Pierfranco Midali, asked an architect friend to design the mirror after getting fed up that during winter the village, which is in a valley and is surrounded by mountains, is plunged into chilly darkness.

The giant mirror measures 8x5m and cost a massive 100,000 euros (£67,000).

But he says it is worth it as residents can feel sunshine during the winter and other villages are now envious of the village which has just 185 residents.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6189371.stm
http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/29816-village-beats-winter-blues-with-giant-mirror