Frustrated by Rome's graffiti, one man is scrubbing the city by hand

Published on

31/07/2026 - 9:31 GMT+2

If you've ever visited Rome there's strong chance you've seen many creative works around the Eternal City other than its ancient monuments. Graffiti and tags have become an increasingly common sight across the Italian capital, but one 28-year-old architectural restorer is determined to change that. Armed with a sand blaster and a growing social media following, Valerio Tuveri is cleaning up Rome's historic walls one restoration at a time.

Known on Instagram and TikTok as_"the guy who cleans Rome"_, he documents each restoration, turning heritage conservation into viral content.

His latest project has been Villa Sciarra, a historic landmark in Rome, where fresh graffiti had appeared on newly restored walls. Wearing protective equipment and using a high-pressure sand blaster, he carefully removed the spray paint while preserving the stone underneath.