Plácido Domingo has performed on several occasions in Greece, where he is much loved, most recently on 27 June 2007 at the Marble Stadium, the historic monument where the first Olympic Games of the modern era were held, at a charity gala to help refugee children in Dafour, thus supporting the work of the association Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). The concert was attended by more than 10,000 people who sold out several weeks in advance.

In the programme on 9 July, in addition to arias and Spanish songs, there will be various duets between Domingo and the great Greek soprano Christina Poulitsis, who met Plácido in 2014 and, as she said at the presentation of the concert, "is a warm, kind man, who earns respect, the definition of a gentleman". It will be, according to Poulitsis, "a mystical concert, an experience where art will fulfil its purpose". The two artists will be accompanied by the ERT National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Spaniard Jordi Bernàcer in what is already considered one of the most important events for the country and a great honour for the orchestra to be associated with a legend like Domingo in a place like Sitía.

And there is something of that in the visit to Crete as well. According to the three companies with vision and faith in culture and in highlighting Sitia's distinctive identity that support this concert - Pankritia Bank, Attica Bank and Intrakat - another aim of the concert is to raise awareness and promote the town of Sitia and the Lasithi region, which still has the authentic Cretan flavour, an area of rich historical interest and unique natural beauty. The town is situated on a hill, dominated by a newly restored Venetian Fort, which slopes down to the picturesque Bay of Sitia, and the harbour. The town is the perfect place to lose yourself in its unique atmosphere. The narrow streets leading to the promenade evoke typical scenes of island life. 

There is another good reason to come here: just a few kilometres further on is the famous Vai palm forest with its wonderful beach, an oasis amidst the semi-arid landscape of this part of the island. It is the largest palm forest in Europe, and it is surprising, as you turn off the road towards the beach, how the landscape changes until you find yourself surrounded by a multitude of palm trees leading to a beach with crystal clear waters.

Undoubtedly the most important monument in Sitia and Lasithi is the Monastery of Toplou, dedicated to Our Lady of Akrotiri, with a 33-metre high bell tower, where Plácido Domingo's concert will take place, a 15th century monastery that contains a small museum on the history of the settlement and preserves a small chapel with frescoes of great artistic value. 

The space has capacity for 1,600 people and admission for those who want to enjoy Plácido Domingo is free, on a first-come, first-served basis, although tickets are already sold out. 

Toplou Monastery is the only surviving example of the many monasteries, large and small, that once stood in the Sitia area, all eventually destroyed by wars and pirate raids. It stands in a rugged, almost desert-like landscape, with giant wind turbines spinning in the background, in what is one of the first wind farms on Crete.

Abbot Philotheos Spanoudakis has been actively involved in the organisation and promotion of the monastery. Among other things, he has established a Museum of Copper Engravings and Greek Folk Engravings produced by the monks of Mount Athos in the 18th and 19th centuries. The monks created images of everyday life as accurate as photographs. Toplou Monastery also houses 15th-century icons which, along with later examples, are of great artistic interest as they show the stages of development of the Constantinople School of Art, which influenced Cretan art. Among them are the works of Ioannis Kornaros, especially the icon 'Great are You, O Lord, and marvellous are Your works' dated 1770.