Surveying the roofs of Rome.

This paper presents the results of a research activity aimed at studying urban areas by means of remotely sensed MIVIS data acquired over the city of Rome. A particular attention was devoted to building roofs described not only as the last defining touch given to a building, the aesthetic conclusion to a whole construction process, but also as expression and sign of a society"s level of civilisation, culture and technical skill. To this purpose, different types of roofing materials were classified within a test area which covers a north-south transect of the city of Rome crossed by the Tiber river. Observations were made and considerations were deduced on how the use of building techniques and materials evolved in space and time.