Graphic Vandalism: study of the interaction of spay varnishes with stone materials and test of some antigraffiti treatments

The debate on graphic vandalism is recent in Italy and there are few comprehensive studies on this subject. The graffitism is not only an aesthetic damage but a serious and irreversible degradation of the stone, by altering its state of preservation in a irreversible way. This work approaches the graphic vandalism by following two routes: a) the micro analytical study of the interaction of spray varnishes with some stone samples (obtained from Ragusa and Palazzolo (Sicily) lythothypes) and with real stone samples (coming from historical buildings sited in Ortigia-Syracuse); b) the testing of the effectiveness and efficiency of some commercial products used to remove the varnish constituents from some stone specimens, by checking the presence of residues onto the analyzed surfaces. In both cases, several micro analytical techniques were used.