Meet your guide, Tui Snider

BIO

They say when the student is ready, the teacher appears. And as fate would have it, I ran across Tui Snider online several years ago, and promptly subscribed to her newsletter. I was very interested in the history of the skull and crossbones symbol I had often seen in German cemeteries many years before. She had the answer I was looking for. As a life-long lover of cemetery sculpture, I was looking to create a tour of the Monumental Cemeteries of Italy.

Tui is a bestselling author and professional speaker who travels the world researching tombstone symbols, unique burial practices, and the fascinating stories behind historic graves.

Tui has written a dozen bestselling books, including Understanding Cemetery Symbols, and 6 Feet Under Texas, and she has plenty more on the way. Her books can be found in libraries worldwide, as well as numerous museums and gift shops, including the National Museum of Funeral History. Her work has also been featured by numerous media outlets including Coast to Coast AM, ABC, NBC, LifeHack, TimeOut Travel, and many more.

Tui shares her hands-on research by writing books and articles, leading tours, creating videos, sending a free newsletter, and giving presentations. While she occasionally teaches classes about cemetery symbolism at Texas Christian University, her favorite way to teach leading in-person tours.

Funerary art is rich with symbols and iconography, however much of its meaning is lost to modern viewers. With a little explanation, these symbols provide insight into our ancestors and the ideas they wished to convey. With a little knowledge, monuments that at first seem boring or baffling can offer a captivating window into the past.

Tui hopes that the knowledge you gain during our exciting tour will awaken you to the vast array of symbols in artwork, architecture, cemeteries, and even advertising everywhere you go. Thanks to Italy’s rich history, many of the symbols you will learn about originated here, and therefore may even be featured in your hometown cemetery.

To sign up for her newsletter (Tui Snider’s Cemetery News) or learn more about Tui’s books, visit her website: TuiSnider.com

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