Italy · 16th century
Castel Sant'Elmo is a medieval fortress located on Vomero Hill adjacent to the Certosa di San Martino, overlooking Naples, Italy. The name "Sant'Elmo" derives from a former 10th-century church dedicated to Sant'Erasmo, shortened to "Ermo" and ultimately altered to "Elmo". Located near the upper terminus of the Petraio, one of the city's earliest pedestrian connections between upper and lower Naples, the fortress now serves as a museum, exhibition hall, and offices.
Text adapted from “Castel Sant'Elmo” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Castel Sant'Elmo ranks #466 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #34 of the 560 mapped in Italy. Founded 1537, it is older than 40% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 891 atlas entries founded in the 16th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 10,104 times in the last 60 days, more than 94% of the atlas. 24 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Naples, 1 km away. See how Italy compares in the castle statistics.
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