San Giovanni degli Eremiti: red domes and an Arab garden in Palermo

The five red domes of San Giovanni degli Eremiti can be seen from afar, suspended over the rooftops of the Albergheria like a row of pomegranates. Yet almost no one turns that way. A few hundred metres away, the Palazzo dei Normanni and the Cappella Palatina draw rows of coaches and tight-packed groups, while here, on Via dei Benedettini, the doorway opens onto a silence that in Palermo seems almost impossible.

The Arab-Norman church

The church was founded in the twelfth century, during the reign of Roger II, on older structures. It is one of the monuments of the Arab-Norman itinerary of Palermo, Cefalù and Monreale, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. But the real reason to climb up here is not the bare interior of the church: it's what stands beside it, beyond a little door on its side.

The cloister

The cloister, of uncertain date and plausibly attributed to the thirteenth century, is a quadrangle of paired columns supporting pointed arches as fine as lace. The light acanthus-leaf capitals let the light filter through. At the centre a garden: exotic plants added in the nineteenth century, citrus trees, palms, a well. The intimate space recalls the Islamic idea of the hortus conclusus, the enclosed garden as an image of paradise and a place of meditation. You sit on the edge and hear only the wind among the leaves.

The Ballarò district

Around it stretches the Albergheria, the Ballarò district: narrow alleys, hanging laundry, the market that at midday shouts and fills the air with scents. Walking here before or after the visit gives the monument back its living context, far from the postcard. Buy fruit from the stalls, stop at a fry shop, talk with those who live there.

When to go

The visit takes little more than half an hour, but it's worth slowing down. Arrive early in the morning or in the late afternoon, when the light sets the red plaster of the domes aglow. Spring and autumn are the ideal months: the Palermo summer is relentless and the courtyards, though shaded, stay scorching. Leave the car outside the old town and reach everything on foot: the Albergheria is crossed slowly, and that's the right way to be there.

Related guides: Sicily off the beaten track: hidden villages and destinations far from the crowds · Not just Taormina: seaside villages of eastern Sicily off the beaten track · Eastern Sicily by train: Catania, Syracuse and the Val di Noto without a car.

How to get there

San Giovanni degli Eremiti is in the heart of Palermo's old town, just steps from the Palazzo dei Normanni and the Cathedral, in an area easily reached on foot from the rest of the old city. Those arriving by train can head for Palermo Centrale station, from which the site is a walk or a short bus ride away. The reference airport is Falcone-Borsellino at Punta Raisi, connected to the centre by shuttle and train. By car, it's best to leave the vehicle in a car park, as the area is traffic-restricted.

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