How many times have we heard about that saying?

Those who arrive in Madrid by way of the M-30 freeway and drive below the pedestrian bridge which links Rome Park with the Moratalaz neighborhood, will be able to see that popular saying on a sign.

However, the original saying is : “De Madrid al cielo y de allí, un agujerito para verlo” which means: “From Madrid to the sky and, from there, a small hole to see it”.

The saying became more popular among Madrilenians when it was used as a slogan for Madrid’s candidacy as European Cultural Capital in 1992.

What it is not clear is its origin.

Some sources say it became popular by the end of 18th Century during the improvements that took place in Madrid during the reign of Charles III.

Those works embellished the city greatly and so, what the saying would intend to mean is that everybody, even after they pass away, will need a little hole to go on enjoying and watching the city from the sky.

Another version says that souls of those who lived in Madrid gather at night in Casa de Campo Park and wait until the crack of dawn to rise to the sky.

Neighbors of the park make this story more believable by saying they’ve seen lights climbing through the treetops.

But the most consistent explanation to the saying is related with the famous Spanish Golden Age writer Luis Quiñones de Benavente who says in one of his poems:

“Pues el invierno y el verano

En Madrid solo son buenos

Desde la cuna a Madrid

Y desde Madrid al cielo”

Now you just have to come over to Madrid and discover all its charms.