The Puerta de Alcala is the gateway to the city for those coming from the East, from the city of Alcalá, as the name suggests. The door that we can see today dates from 1778, but there have been others before, much less impressive.
When Charles III came to Madrid, to become King of Spain, he was disappointed with his entry into the city, he didn’t consider it worthy of his kingdom. He then decided to order the construction of the current gate and asked to several architects for their designs.
Ventura Rodriguez (author of the Fuente de Cibeles and Neptune) made several designs for the Gate, but none of them pleased Carlos III. It was Francesco Sabatini who won the approval of the King with two designs, so liked that he could not decide and both were projected. How? very simple, both sides of the Gate are different.
