Scritte sui muri: i graffiti antichi tra indifferenza e considerazione.

The study of surfaces belonging to historical architecture’ surfaces implies not only the knowledge of the constructive techniques as part of the built heritage material history, but also the relationships between those same surfaces and the mankind, well exemplified by words or drawings engraved on them. Despite the frequency with which the graffiti are found, the topic of their treatment is still controversial, although in recent decades the interest in their study has constantly grown. This contempt is evident especially during the restoration phase when whole corpora are deleted, without any form of adequate documentation. The aim of the paper, in accordance with our specific areas of expertise in the field of restoration, advanced survey techniques and archaeology, is to present an overview of the topic through a series of interventions that have privileged their maintenance or determined their disappearance, as well as to analyse and propose considerations on the advantages and disadvantages inherent to the survey methods directly experimented in some recent researches. The analysis of scientific literature, foreign guidelines or legal interventions collected in Italy and abroad will allow us to understand how their perception has changed over time and what suggestions are given for their preservation, whose first step consists in the documentation. This operation, conducted mostly using traditional techniques of survey, can now be facilitated by the use of digital instruments of survey and representation, able to increase the level of information and of detail in their reading and reproduction.