In an interview with the UK’s Telegraph Travel section famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli spoke generously of his time in Israel. In response to the question “Which was your best holiday,” he responded:

“A country that has really resonated with me and I was really impressed with was Israel. I found that the whole country had a very special atmosphere. I was there to perform but it was one of the few places that I’ve visited over the years that I had some free time to explore, and I was hugely impressed by all the religious history there.”

Bocelli last visited Israel in 2011 performing at Masada in collaboration with members of the Rishon Lezion Symphonic Orchestra and the opera choir.

Before that he visited the Jewish state in 2008 as part of a celebration for Shimon Peres’s birthday.

Bocelli, who was born with glaucoma and lost his sight at the age of 12, has won fans across the globe and has sold over 80 million albums worldwide.