Valerio Tuveri is spending his free time sand-blasting graffiti off monuments, historic parks, and public infrastructure across Rome [1].
This effort highlights the ongoing struggle between urban vandalism and the preservation of ancient heritage in one of the world's most visited cities. As a professional architectural restorer, Tuveri applies specialized techniques to restore surfaces that city services may overlook or cannot maintain in real time.
Tuveri, who is 28 [1], has gained a following on TikTok and Instagram under the moniker “the guy who cleans Rome” [1]. He documents his process by posting clean-up videos for free, operating with the agreement of city authorities [1]. His targets include not only ancient monuments and historic parks, but also apartment buildings, storefront shutters, dumpsters, and train cars [1, 2, 3].
The frequency of vandalism remains a significant challenge. In one instance, Tuveri performed a second clean-up in the same historic park within a two-week period [2]. He has been sharing these videos for about two years [1].
Tuveri said graffiti has worsened in recent years due to insufficient sanctions [1, 3]. To combat the trend, he said the city should implement steep fines and extensive camera surveillance to deter vandals [1, 3].
His work involves using a sand-blaster to strip paint from various materials without damaging the underlying structure. This method allows for the restoration of diverse surfaces, from stone monuments to metal shutters, while providing a visual record of the city's battle against blight [1, 2].
“Valerio Tuveri is spending his free time sand-blasting graffiti off monuments, historic parks, and public infrastructure across Rome.”
The emergence of private citizens performing official maintenance tasks suggests a gap in municipal capacity to manage urban blight in Rome. By leveraging social media to document the restoration of public property, Tuveri is shifting the narrative of graffiti from an inevitable urban feature to a solvable problem, while simultaneously lobbying for a shift toward more punitive legal deterrents and technological surveillance.
