Macc Museo Arte Contemporanea Carmine Scicli

MACC Museo Arte Contemporanea Carmine occupies the former Carmelite convent on Piazza Busacca, bringing contemporary art into one of Scicli’s most resonant historic settings. The convent was founded in 1368, alongside the church of San Giacomo Interciso; both buildings were destroyed in the earthquake of 1693 and rebuilt in the second half of the 18th century.

The church, completed in 1769, and the convent, completed in 1778, were designed by Fra Alberto Maria di San Giovanni Battista, the Carmelite friar who lived in the complex he designed. Its interiors retain Rococo stucco work by Giovanni Gianforma, an apse by Salvatore Alì and large 18th-century canvases attributed to Costantino Carasi.

Following decades of disuse, the complex underwent a restoration overseen by the Sovrintendenza di Ragusa, funded through the 1990 Earthquake Law and a grant from the Italian Ministry of Culture. The process took about 40 years, culminating in the museum’s opening to the public on 5 May 2025, attended by the Italian Culture Minister. The inaugural exhibition was a major retrospective of Emilio Isgrò, while actor Cesare Bocci has also visited the exhibition.

MACC’s current exhibition, Giorgio de Chirico – Il sole della Metafisica, runs from 18 May to 1 November 2026. Curated by Lorenzo Canova, it brings together around 50 works by de Chirico in dialogue with photographs by Giovanni Chiaramonte, Giuseppe Leone, Pino Ninfa and Armando Rotoletti. The museum has also hosted the site-specific festival Ex Machina and Isgrò’s exhibition L’Opera delle formiche.

The cloister is hosting the free MACC Music Festival through October 2026, with performances and conversations including Duettango on 9 October, Beppe Carletti of Nomadi on 16 October and Francesco Baccini on 23 October. The museum is open daily from 10:00–13:00 and 15:30–19:30; booking is not required for the festival.