Graffiti writers who deface public buildings should be doing amends by being forced to replicate their scribblings on the walls of their homes, the mayor of a town near Padua said on Wednesday. Vigonza Mayor Nunzio Tacchetto told the local daily Il Gazzettino he is preparing an ordinance which will not only slap hefty fines but will see graffiti writers doing penance by spending a month reprising their creations inside their homes.

"It's tit-for-tat. We'll oblige them to recreate their scribblings at home exactly as they did on the public buildings. After a month of that they'll think twice before messing up public and private buildings," said Tacchetto. He plans to enlist townspeople in the clean-up crusade and promises rewards for anyone who reports them to police. "I'm already working with municipal officials to draw up the ordinance," he said. Graffiti are ubiquitous in Italy's major cities, where there is scarcely a street untouched by paintings or, more commonly, scribblings and tags which cost the state and city councils time and money in clean-up jobs. In an amendment to its public safety bill approved by Parliament earlier this year, graffiti writers caught for a second offence face a possible jail term of six months to two years and fines ranging from 1,500 to 10,000 euros.

Most young Italian writers believe they cannot be stopped and say that writing in illegal places, where drawings and slogans will be conspicuous, is part of the thrill. The alleged art form has deep roots in Italy. Early graffiti - literally ''scratchings'' - have been found on ancient Roman walls and monuments. Surveys have shown that for the majority of Italian youngsters graffiti represent a form of art and not an act of vandalism. Many see it as a legitimate form of self-expression which improves the appearance of walls, particularly in remote or abandoned urban areas.