Church of Saint John of the Hermits — Attraction in Palermo

One of the most exquisite examples of Arabic-Norman architecture in Palermo is definitely the church of Saint John of the Hermits (San Giovanni degli Eremiti). It’s like a time capsule. Visited the place in June 2020, shortly after the coronavirus pandemic peak in Italy, so an appointment was mandatory. There's a handy application which can be used to book visits to all the museums in Sicily, so it was not a big deal for us to get an appointment. We’ve been the only three persons visiting the church at the time being. It was really a great experience, almost like a time travel. It’s not only about the church itself, the cloister, the garden, the vegetation, everything makes you feel like stepping in a remotely and isolated monastery from North of Africa. A painting of two saints reminding of the Christian Orthodox iconography is still...

This Church is a bare ruin, so there are no frescos or mosaics, just the empty Church that is still standing, the garden and a column structure in the garden. Somewhat underwhelming at first, but this becomes a much more exciting visit if you climb the nearby belfry tower of the adjoining Church to get a view of the surroundings. Also see the grotta in the neighboring Church. I feel that if these 2 Churches worked together to create a combined ticket, it would provide a better experience for tourists and also drive business to both. St John has the fame to attract tourists, the adjoining Church has an amazing tower and a grotta which add more excitement...

The City of Palermo has decided that this church must not be visited during its slated roadworks surrounding the church. Except that they forgot to inform anybody about their decision. The roadworks cover all the surrounding square inches around the church: they haven't even provided a narrow footpath to one side as is done anywhere else in the world during roadworks. There is a complete absence of signage in the area. People are forced, at best, to ask people at an adjoining church about how to visit San Giovanni degli Ermiti, but nobody has any idea how to reach it. A total waste of...