Piero Gratton's collected works donated to club by family

The Gratton family has decided to donate Piero’s entire heritage to AS Roma.

Nearly 1,200 items in total: theme song transparencies, animations, sketches, films and other paraphernalia.

All of Gratton’s works – which have been stored for over a year at AS Roma’s Historic Archive – have been fully catalogued, digitalised and brought together in a single mosaic.

Most important of all: they will be preserved.

“Giving my father’s work to Roma will help make his memory eternal,” explained Piero’s son Michelangelo.

Gratton, the mastermind behind Roma's design overhaul in the late 1970s and 1980s, passed away in April 2020.

So what made you decide to donate all your father’s work to the AS Roma Archive?

“It was something I thought about. When you went into his studio, you couldn’t breathe his story. There were no posters or storyboards in sight. I wanted my children to know who their grandfather was. What memory of him would we be left with? I liked the idea of his work being given the prominence it deserves. And I’m not just talking about the Lupetto – for Piero Gratton was not just the inventor of the Lupetto.”

That’s something a lot of Romanisti believe.

“He was dubbed the Italian Walt Disney. Numerous articles were written about him. Dad had a great career with a series of milestones. It hurt me to think that those milestones might be stuck in a basement somewhere like old papers. Rummaging through his things, I came across some fabulous material – like the storyboard for the theme song of Odeon [a weekly news programme by Rai in the ‘70s].”

Why did you want Roma specifically to store all these past treasures?

“Because I think Roma can give Piero Gratton’s story the importance it deserves. I didn’t have the time, the means or the strength to promote this artistic heritage, which represents a cross section of Italian society. Roma can do that.

"For my family, this donation is an opportunity. Tradition is an important value and this decision means my children will be able to learn about their origins.”

You said before that Piero Gratton was not just the creator of the Lupetto. What do you think your father means to Roma?

“He was the man who gave the club a visual identity. My dad was a pioneer. The AS Roma logotype and Lupetto were revolutionary: despite breaking with the past and being completely different to the Capitoline Wolf they entered into the city’s heart and history.

"There are fans who got themselves a Lupetto tattoo. The design has become part of the fabric of the city.”

How does it feel seeing that this year’s home kit is a nod to Pouchain’s ‘ice-lolly’ shirt designed by your dad and that the away kit features the Lupetto?

“It’s very emotional. I’m just sorry dad couldn’t see it. It’s as if he were still here with his. Through his work, Piero Gratton has obtained a sort of immortality.”

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Clicca qui per una descrizione dettagliata degli oggetti della gallery

Which of the 1,200 or so items donated are you most fond of?

“The ones that remind me of my childhood. There are some cardboard figures my dad used to draw and cut out. They were used for TV theme songs. He started out as an animator – he was incredibly dexterous. As a child, they were toys for me.

"Then there are the transparencies for the theme song of Gulliver, a Rai 2 news programme with very soft notes sung by Angelo Branduardi. That theme song… [Michelangelo becomes emotional and remains silent for a few seconds] is one of my fondest memories.”

Your donation will make lots of fans understand how important memories are.

“Diversity is a wonderful thing but we mustn’t forget our identity – that of a family. Like the identity of a city and a football club. A club should nurture its memory, especially a club like Roma – because Roma is history with a capital H. Roma’s history is intertwined with the history of Italy and the lives of millions of people.”

What do you miss most about your dad?

“Having someone to argue with. We could argue about anything and everything. But he was my dad and I would defend him to the last.”

Did you get your love for Roma from your father?

“Yes, he taught me to love Roma. He took me to see a game when we beat Cagliari 2-0 in the 1973-74 season. He missed both goals because he’d gone to get some drinks! Afterwards, he took me down to the dressing rooms.”

Who was your Giallorossi idol?

“[Agostino] Di Bartolomei. He was a real captain, very professional and sensitive too. I identify with him and his suffering.”