Cantù

Cantù (Italian pronunciation: [kanˈtu]; Cantü [kãˈty] in local Lombard) is a city and comune in the Province of Como, located at the center of the Brianza zone in Lombardy. It is the second largest city in Brianza.

History

Cantù was a source of conflict between the cities of Milan and Como. The Sforza of Milan took control permanently in the 15th century.

Main sights

The main attraction of Cantù is the Basilica di San Vincenzo in the frazione Galliano, which was consecrated in 1007 by the future Archbishop of Milan, Ariberto da Intimiano. The building was sold in 1801 to become a private dwelling, before being bought by the municipality in 1909 and reconsecrated in 1934. The basilica contains the oldest frescoes in Lombardy consisting of series of stories from the Bible and the saints. The frescoes in the apse are especially fine, and those in the nave probably by this master painter's followers. Other sights are the Piazza Garibaldi, named for Giuseppe Garibaldi, and the San Paolo Church, whose bell tower is one of the symbol of the city.

Shea butter

Shea butter (/ˈʃiː/ or /ˈʃiː.ə/) is an off-white or ivory-colored fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa). Shea butter is a triglyceride (fat) derived mainly from stearic acid and oleic acid. It is widely used in cosmetics as a moisturizer, salve or lotion. Shea butter is edible and is used in food preparation in Africa. Occasionally, the chocolate industry uses shea butter mixed with other oils as a substitute for cocoa butter, although the taste is noticeably different.

The English word "shea" comes from s’í, the tree's name in the Bambara language of Mali. It is known by many local names, e.g., karité in the Wolof language of Senegal,ori in some parts of West Africa, and many others.

History

Accounts from as early as Cleopatra's Egypt speak of caravans bearing clay jars of valuable shea butter for cosmetic use. The funeral beds of early kings were carved in the wood of shea trees. Shea butter's skin care and healing properties were first harnessed thousands of years ago. The history of shea as a precious commodity can be traced back to Ancient Egypt, where shea butter was and continues to be used to protect the hair and skin against the fierce sun and the hot dry winds of African deserts and savannah.

Paty Cantú

Patricia Giovanna Cantú Velasco (born November 25, 1983), known professionally as Paty Cantú is a Mexican singer-songwriter and occasional actress, who rose to fame as one of the founding members of the successful Mexican pop duo Lu. Cantú has both Mexican and US citizenship.

Early life

Cantú was born in Houston, Texas. The family returned to Guadalajara, Mexico when she was a child. At the age of 16, Cantú was drawn to entertaining people; she started taking guitar and bass lessons, eventually leaving law school to pursue her musical career.

Music career

Lu

Paty Cantú became a member of the Mexican pop duo Lu alongside Mario Sandoval. The pair rose to fame with hits like Por Besarte, Una Confusión and La Vida Después de Ti and being certified gold and platinum for both records in Mexico and USA. Their self-titled debut album released in 2004, which was produced by Aureo Baqueiro, producer of artists like Natalia Lafourcade, Sin Bandera, Kabah, and Moenia, had success in Mexico and Brazil in which enjoyed success because they and their song "Por Besarte" were featured on Rebelde. Her song-writing skills were shown in the track "Sé" and writing songs for Lola and Alejandra Guzmán. After various reeditions from their first album, and a sophomore one called "Álbum", it was announced on August 27, 2007 that Mario and Paty parted ways due to artistic ideas, giving their last concert on October in Reynosa, Tamaulipas.