General view

Far-reaching reform of town planning in Madrid had been initiated in the 1760s under Charles III. Among the most fundamental reforms was the integration of the previously isolated Palacio Real into the fabric of the city and especially the grand design and construction of the boulevards to open up the urban space. The Calle de Alcalà, for example, was given an imposing architectural element with the triumphal arch of the Puerta de Alcalà, a work by Sabatini that still exhibited the Baroque style.