Tui Snider The Italian Monumental Cemeteries – Where Peace Meets Art and Meaning

May 19-29, 2026

We are delighted to announce that Tui Snider, author and symbologist, will join us once again to reveal the often-hidden meanings of the hundreds of mysterious symbols found in the Monumental Cemeteries of Italy.

For those of you who may not know Tui Snider, you are in for a treat. She is a virtual compendium of cemetery symbol knowledge, having traveled the world in search of cemetery art and history. She has written several books about the subject and offers talks about her travel adventures. (Her most recent book, Around the World in 80 Graves was just published in 2025 and is available at Amazon.com and includes some images from our last Monumental Cemetery tour).

She’s an energetic spirit and fun to traipse through cemeteries with, scouting for obscure images that you might otherwise never notice. You’ll find yourself hunting for creatures and symbols on gravestones, and now you will be able to decipher the hidden meanings behind them. It is a treasure hunt unlike any you have ever been on before!

These are truly open-air museums of beauty and history, a wealth of esoteric knowledge worth visiting for anyone who admires cemeteries and cemetery sculpture. And here in Italy, we have the most incredible examples, our Cimiteri Monumentali. This year we are outdoing our previous tours, by adding additional cemeteries and places. We will begin our 10-day visit in Florence, Italy and wind our way up through Pisa and the coast of the Ligurian Sea to Genoa. From there we will continue on to Turin, Milano and Bologna, winding up our adventures back in bella Firenze (Florence) and some beautiful cemetery examples, including the smaller English Cemetery.

This is an adventure for anyone who loves cemeteries, sculpture, history and Italy. We welcome artists, writers, photographers and historians to these groups, which we intentionally keep small, to allow for a friendly and inclusive group experience. Bring your cameras, art supplies, journals and comfortable walking shoes – you will be using them.

We travel in air-conditioned comfort with professional, friendly van drivers and stay in clean, comfortable accommodations. We keep the driving between locations to a maximum of 2 -2.5 hours, with opportunities to stop mid-route. All breakfasts and some lunches and dinners are provided.

There are times built into the schedule for relaxing and perhaps savoring a glass of wine of an Aperol Spritz while you compare notes or sketches or photos of your day with friends. Although we include some truly unforgettable places, you will not be rushed through the experience. You can wander at your own pace or stick to Tui like glue, so you don’t miss a single word of her commentary. It all works.

Read more about this workshop here.

Visit Tui’s site here.

I’m GOING! Register here.