The paper presents the 3D scanning techniques developed and the preliminary results of the "Minerva Project". The Minerva of Arezzo is a bronze statue at the Archaeological Museum in Florence and currently under restoration at the Restoration Centre of the Soprintendenza Archeologica of the Tuscany Region (2000-2001). The Minerva project intends to show how the 3D techniques can integrate the standard diagnostic ones giving useful and powerful tools to the restorers. The main goal of the project is to build a complete 3D digital model of the Minerva statue, either before or after the restoration. The case study is very stimulating, because variations of the shape (removal of plaster, polishing of the corroded bronze surface) and of the colour (removal of the thick paint film on the bronze surface) of the statue are forecasted. In this work we also discuss the experience we get and the problems encountered during the project and further possible applications of such 3D techniques in the restoration field.