Today we walked through ITU/SP. We walked through the Historic Center and went to see PRAÇA DOS EXAGEROS. Itu is a city in the state of São Paulo. The residents call themselves Ituanos. The municipality extends over 640.8 km² and had 173,939 inhabitants in the last census. The demographic density is 271.5 inhabitants per km² in the municipality’s territory. Neighboring the municipalities of Salto, Porto Feliz and Cabreúva, Itu is located 21 km south-west of Indaiatuba. Located at an altitude of 577 meters, Itu has the following geographic coordinates: Latitude: 23° 15' 57'' South, Longitude: 47° 17' 57'' West. The construction of a chapel, in 1610, where the Church of Bom Jesus now stands, was the great milestone in the founding of Itu. At the time, the bandeirante Domingos Fernandes, together with his son-in-law, Cristóvão Diniz, built the place for devotion to Our Lady of Candelária, who would later become the municipality's patron saint. Vila de Itu was elevated to city status in February 1842 and, in the same year, actively participated in the liberal revolution that broke out in various parts of the country, organizing a force of 300 men, together with the troops of Brigadier Rafael Tobias de Aguiar. Itu's participation in National politics also had great prominence at the Magna Convention of the Republican Party in 1873, held there. Economic development gave it the status of largest producer of sugar cane during the Imperial period. It was also prominent in the coffee cycle, which was the municipality's basic activity until 1935, encouraging the arrival of immigrants, especially Italians. From 1850 onwards and for years, Itu was considered the richest city in the Province of São Paulo, with an important participation in political and economic life. In 1869, the first cotton fabric factory was installed, the first steam-powered one in the Province of São Paulo. But it was only from 1950 onwards that several factories began to be set up in the city. Due to the reputation of “everything big”, Itu has a series of stores dedicated to the sale of objects in proportional sizes. There are hundreds of items, ranging from keychains, pencils, erasers, to larger-scale personal hygiene utensils. This game gained so much fame that, consequently, it intensified the flow of tourists interested in seeing its giant objects, such as the pay phone and the traffic light. They are the most famous and are located in the city's main square. Furthermore, the city is well known for its history. The city has this exaggerated nickname because of a comedian from Itu called Francisco Flaviano Almeida, who played a character called Simplício, on the program “The square is ours”, he promoted Itu in an exaggerated way, where he talked about his hometown, reaching compare it with the metropolis of São Paulo, stating that everything was big in its place of origin. The Parish Church of Nossa Senhora da Candelária was inaugurated in 1780, under the same invocation as the demolished chapel. At the inauguration, the church received the image of Our Lady of Candelária that belonged to the aforementioned chapel. Inside, the original ceiling and gilding were made by José Patrício da Silva, who from Santos took his assistant and apprentice Jesuíno Francisco de Paula Gusmão, known as Friar Jesuíno do Monte Carmelo, to Itu, who painted the walls of the main chapel. . The details of the altars were made by the imaginary Guilherme, from Paraíba. The foundations and walls are made of gravel with piled stones, with thick pieces of wood inside. The facade was only completed in 1831, with the introduction of the tower and its bells and also its forecourt, with its staircase. Later, at the end of the 19th century, its frontispiece was renovated by the architect Ramos de Azevedo. Our Lady of Candelária is one of the names attributed to the Virgin Mary. She is the patron saint of the Canary Islands, venerated in the Catholic Church. Image is located in the Basilica and Royal Marian Sanctuary of Our Lady of Candlemas in the city of Candlemas, in Tenerife. We really enjoyed the tour and as it was kind of long, we divided it into 2 videos. The continuation will be next Saturday (23-03-2024). We hope you enjoy our tour and good entertainment to everyone!!!!