A specific operative protocol set up during the restoration of the Grammichele slate slab

This work deals with the conservation of a slate slab, representing the map of Grammichele, a small town in the hinterland of South Eastern Sicily. The slab was engraved and painted in 1693, just after the tremendous earthquake that distroyed most of the towns in that area. The conservation process is illustrated through three steps: i) archive research; ii) physical chemical analysis of constitutive materials and degradation products; iii) planning and carrying out of the restoration and conservation operations.