Naples is dominated by the hill of Vomero, on whose top there are the Castle of Sant'Elmo and the Charterhouse of San Martino, where you can enjoy a wonderful panorama over the city and the whole bay of Naples. Those palaces, initially positioned on top of a desert and wooded area, are still partially surrounded by the greenery, which divide them from colored and variform buildings that climb on both sides of the hill.

They were built by the Angevins, who changed deeply the city by the constructions of many important buildings, both ecclesiastical and civilian. Earlier nucleus of the castle was in 1275 a fortified residence named "Belforte" (Beautiful Fortress), where lived some relatives of Charles of Anjou. In 1329 Robert of Anjou decided to enlarge it, in harmony with the building of the Charterhouse started some years before. The Castle was named after the Saint to whom it was dedicated the hill, Sant'Erasmo. The actual name derives probably from a corruption of the first name, passing from Erasmo to Ermo and then Elmo.

The castle had been rebuilt in 16th century by the Spaniards, because of the new defence needs imposed by the development of the artillery. They built the new walls following a starlike plan, still visible nowadays. But just for its inexpugnability (and also for its peripheral position with regard to the centre of government), its original defensive function was turned into instrument of repression and control of internal opponents and it became a prison and centre of police forces. There they were imprisoned, among the others, the philosopher Tommaso Campanella and some leaders of the Neapolitan Revolution in 1799. The Castle of Sant'Elmo had received important restoration works, which began in 1976 and lasted 7 years. Those works gave back the original form to many of the interiors and paths, so that the castle nowadays acts as a suitable environment for art exhibitions and cultural events, which are hosted here very frequently. Furthermore it houses some important departments by the Bureau for Artistic and Historic Works.  [ More...]