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Rail Pass is an excellent way to save money on rail trips.  It seems in recent years with the rise in fuel prices that rail trips are back on the popular radar for tourists and in some parts of the world there is no better way to travel.  In Europe the best form of travel is definately rail.  The European network is extensive and the range of high speed trains available in countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany and so forth has revolutionised travel for people. 

If your smart when booking or you book well ahead good discounts are available, the Eurostar is an excellent example of this as you can save time and money with a little planning.  With airfares rising around the world due to higher oil and jet fuel prices and the convenience of avoiding airport customs especially in Europe makes it much easier to take rail transport.  Discount airfares cannot get any cheaper and will only rise for airlines to stay in business and with the ease of train travel you can avoid all the baggage and security restrictions imposed by airports now.

I have certainly found train travel to be more convenient and generally more cost effective than air travel.  For a tourist one of the main things is to see the destination you are visiting and on a train you can do just this.  Air travel does not provide you the chance to see and experience the destinations in between your departure and arrival destinations.  In my experience, especially in Europe these destinations are the ones that gave me the most enjoyment and lasting memories of my trip. 


Rail Pass offers you some wonderful discounts on a range of rail travel in Australia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom.  The savings available are considerable and come in many different forms from a Eurail Pass for all of Europe, a 3-5 country Eurail pass or a 3, 2, or 1 country pass.  I can fully recommend the Rail Pass, click below if your interested in checking out what Eurail has to offer. 

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A first time visitor to Rome would have no shortage of interesting destinations to visit from the Colosseum to the Vatican and any number of highlights in between, one is not starved of choices when visiting this amazing city. Most visitors would have the big items on their list in addition to those above the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain would also be high on the list but one that is less known but is as equally worth a visit is the crypt below the Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini or Our Lady of the Conception of the Capuchins. The church is located off Via Veneto and close by the Piazza Barberini. It is not the easiest place to track down and I had spent some 20 minutes trying to locate the Church but once found it was worth the visit.

The Capuchin Crypt is quite unique, upon entry you see the wide eyed faces of amazement of other visitors only metres inside the entrance. At that point you realise you are going to see something different. The crypts I have previously visited around Europe have been much different to this. Most crypt’s don’t only display the bones in such a vivid way, however the Capuchin Crypt is very different. The Crypt is only small but contains over 4000 bones of the Capuchin friars that had been collected between 1528 and 1870. What makes a trip to the Capuchin Crypt so different is the decorative pattern that the bones are displayed and the bizarre adornment of bones. The bones have been fashioned in the style of Baroque and the Rococo style and are featured in only a handful of displays that will leave a lasting impression. Some skeletons are intact and draped in Franciscan habits where other displays feature an array of bones from that adorn the walls and arches of the display. The most remarkable display is three Franciscan friars who are posed in a standing formation surrounded by skulls adorning the walls. This display alone features hundreds of skulls and is best described as macarbe but cannot fail to fascinate. I stood next to a family with two teenage children looking at this display and I could see the look of amazement not just on the children but parent’s faces. It was one thing I don’t think they will forget anytime soon.

If you are in Rome and have an hour spare and looking for something unique that will stay with you for your life then you have to check this place out. It is not easily found but worth the trip and while you walk away from the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain feeling a bit drained from the massive crowds the quiet Capuchin Crypt will be a nice change and will remain in your thoughts far longer than many other sites you will see in Rome.

To check out the official site and see some of the Capuchin Crypt displays, click here.

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The Spanish Steps are one of the most visited sites in Rome. A City like Rome contains no shortage of highlights with the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum, Vatican and the list goes on but the Spanish Steps loom large.

Naturally I was curious what made the Spanish Steps so unique and rank among some of the other more remarkable historical sites in Rome. I was well situated to the Spanish Steps staying less than 100 metres away it was a fantastic location to explore all the delights that Rome has to offer. During my 5 days in Rome I kept returning to the Spanish Steps many times each day, it just has some quality that I find draws people to sit on the steps, watch others walk by and just take in Rome. Much like the Trevi Fountain it is virtually always packed in the evening but if you the morning around 9am it can still be quiet. But the Spanish Steps are not best to be seen when quiet, you need to see it as the sun sets and the crowds flock to take in the night in an amazing part of Rome.

The Spanish Steps climbs a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna to the Piazza Trinita dei Monti at the top where the Trinita dei Monto church takes pride of place. The Spanish Steps has 138 steps and was build in 1723 to 1725. While the steps are nothing remarkable they are a magnet for tourists and also those that prosper on tourism, you will be able to pickup that magnet of Rome you have been thinking about buying to take back home. Also if your a bit thirty you will be able to buy a Coke for about 4 Euro but it you walk another hundred metres down the road McDonald’s will provide the same service for half the price. The Spanish Steps in the evening is packed, you can see the tourist groups arrive and the local guide holding the paddle guiding people around talking about the local sites of Rome. It is worth watching just finding a spot on the steps and watching all that goes on in the Piazza Spagna below. Rome which is remarkable during the day comes alive at night, you get a far greater appreciation for the beauty of Rome at night and few better places to take in the energy of Rome than the Spanish Steps.

Every day in Rome for me included a return to the Spanish Steps as the energy and beauty of the Roman City is ever on display here. If you have been struggling in the heat of a Roman summer day or taking in the hectic tourist sites like the Colosseum then take some time out of your evening and spend it relaxing at the Spanish Steps watching time drift slowly. You have everything you need around you from tourist shops in the Piazza di Spagna to the vibrant restaurant’s nearby and the amazing Gelato shops that serve among the finest Gelato you will experience.

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