Viganella

Viganella
Frazione
Viganella in 2005.
Viganella Location of Viganella in Italy
Coordinates: 46°03′08″N 8°11′38″E
Country	Italy
Region	Piedmont
Province	Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
Comune	Borgomezzavalle
Area
• Total	13.67 km2 (5.28 sq mi)
Elevation	582 m (1,909 ft)
Population  (31-12-2010)
• Total	204
• Density	15/km2 (39/sq mi)
Demonym	Viganellesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	28846 (già 28841)
Dialing code	0324
Website	https://www.comune.borgomezzavalle.vb.it/en-us/home

Viganella is a frazione of Borgomezzavalle, a comune of the Valle Antrona in the Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, the Italian region Piedmont. It is located about 120 kilometres (75 mi) northeast of Turin and about 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwest of Verbania. It was a separate comune until 2016, when it was merged with Seppiana into the municipality of Borgomezzavalle.

Etymology

One hypothesis traces the name Viganella back to vignanella ("small vineyard"), but other studies derive it from vicana with reference to the common lands (of the "vicinia") of the rural settlements of the medieval times.

Heraldry

The municipal coat of arms was granted by decree of the President of the Republic on November 27, 2002. The elements depicted symbolize the main local economic activities: a hydraulically powered hammer recalls ironworking, documented since the 13th century; a vine represents winemaking, which was widespread, especially in the past. The vine is also a reference to the toponym, which sounds similar to vignanella ("small vineyard"), which is among the hypotheses for the etymology of the town's name. The banner was a red flag.

History

Viganella's rural architecture is typical of a community of miners and charcoal burners, its historic demographic. The comune is notable in the history of Piedmont for its iron mining with the industry's oldest record dating to 21 July 1217 in which the Bishop of Novara, Oldeberto Torneffi, leased a furnace in Vai Magliasca in the municipality of Viganella to a master smelter. Another example is an 18th-century painting by G. Mattia Borgnis, commissioned as a votive offering by the men of Viganella returning from Haute-Savoie where they had been to learn the trade of miners and smelters.

The parish church dedicated to the Nascent Virgin, dating from 1614, contains sculptures and paintings.

Also of note is a building known as "Casa Vanni", the former home of a local painter and sculptor; as well as a medieval tower, the only "fortified house" in the Valle Antrona.

Prehistoric archaeological remains are also present in the municipality such as megalithic caves, Celtic petroglyphs, 15th-century trilithic arches and the remains of a Roman necropolis where terracotta olps, cups and bronze coins from 156 and 157 AD have been recorded.

Viganella comprises six historic hamlets or villages, each sporting their historic oratories or chapels.

The comune is host to several folk traditions. "Candelora" is celebrated every year on February 2nd with the reintroduction of the "pescia," a fir tree decorated with traditional artisanal and culinary items, and the patronal feast of Santa Maria held on September 8th with accompanying festivities

There is a folk group who dress in traditional alpine clothing and the choir "I cantori di Viganella", who practice Gregorian chant.

Notable places

Viganella Square.

The center of Viganella is home to the 16th-century parish church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and several ancient buildings of interesting architecture. Numerous chapels and oratories are found throughout the municipality, including the 17th-century buildings of San Domenico and San Giulio.

The Colma (dei Prei) mountain hut in located the Antrona Valley at 1,570 m above sea level and sleeps 12.

Winter lighting

The mirror of Viganella.

Due to the high ridge to the south, the town remains shadowed for 83 days per year, between 11 November and 2 February. A giant mirror was set up in December 2006 with controlled orientation above the mountainside at 1100 on the Alpe Scagiola, consisting of 14 sheets of steel which together are 8 metres (26 ft) wide and 5 metres (16 ft) high. The mirror functions as a heliostat, tracking the Sun so that sunlight always reflects onto the town square. The mirror cost €100,000, or approximately €540 per resident.

The town was featured in a 2009 Italian/Canadian film called Lo Specchio (The Mirror), as well as the 2019 Italian film C'è tempo.

Schematic describing how the mirror illuminates Viganella.

According to a former mayor: "The idea behind the project doesn't have a scientific basis, but a human one. It comes from a desire to let people socialise in winter when the town shuts down due to the cold and the dark."

Settlements

The municipality included four frazioni or hamlets:

• Bordo
• Cheggio
• Prato
• Rivera
• Ruginetta.

It also included the small Alpine villages (località) of Alpe Baitone, Alpe Barco, Alpe Barco Sotto, Alpe Beola, Alpe Brig, Alpe Casalaccio, Alpe Casale, Alpe Casalvera, Alpe Cavallo, Alpe Erbalunga (mainly in Calasca-Castiglione), Alpe Gora, Alpe Grap, Alpe Gurbegia, Alpe La Piana, Alpe Pianezzo, Alpe Piazzana, Alpe Prei, and Alpe Saler.

Demographics

According to ISTAT data, as of December 31, 2010, the resident foreign population was 54. The most represented nationalities based on their percentage of the total resident population were:

• Germany: 44 (21.57%)
• Switzerland: 5 (2.45%)

Population

From the population census:

Population census of Viganella

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1861 471 —     1871 499 +0.58% 1881 502 +0.06% 1901 438 −0.68% 1911 484 +1.00% 1921 456 −0.59% 1931 422 −0.77% 1936 426 +0.19%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1951 367 −0.99% 1961 367 +0.00% 1971 332 −1.00% 1981 263 −2.30% 1991 192 −3.10% 2001 204 +0.61% 2011 174 −1.58%
Note: Seppiana and Viganella were merged in 2016 to form Borgomezzavalle. Source: ISTAT, Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991, su ebiblio.istat.it, ISTAT.

See also

• Rjukan, a town in Norway also uses mirrors to illuminate the town.

External links

• Trailer for 'Lo Specchio'
• Articles about Lighting Solution: Article 1, Article 2
• Map showing Viganella at Swisstopo.ch