Porta Reale, Triumphal arch city gate in Noto, Italy

Porta Reale is a triumphal arch that stands at the start of Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the main street of Noto's historic center. It is built with two pilasters topped by Corinthian capitals and frames the formal entrance to the old town.

The gate was built in 1838 on the initiative of the Marquis of Cannicarao, to a design by the Neapolitan architect Orazio Angelini, for the visit of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies. It was completed that same year in the form it still has. After the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ended and Italy was unified, the name Porta Ferdinandea fell away and Porta Reale remained.

The three figures above the arch carry specific meanings: the pelican in the centre stands for the sacrifice Noto made for the House of Bourbon, the tower for the city's strength, and the dog for loyalty to the Bourbons. The dog is a Cirneco dell'Etna, a breed typical of Sicily. Two coats of arms appear on the arch, one of Noto and one of the Marquis of Cannicarao, who commissioned the gate.

The gate opens onto Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the straight main axis of Noto's rebuilt centre, so the walk from here runs gently downhill past the town's churches and palaces. The square in front of the arch was restored in 2014 and is paved and open, with the rougher unfinished stone of the base visible at eye level.

The three figures above the arch are not saints: a pelican stands for the sacrifice Noto made for the Bourbon house, a tower for the city's strength, and a Cirneco dell'Etna dog, a Sicilian breed, for loyalty to the crown.