You couldn’t blame Cecilia Violetta López for believing in destiny. On her birth certificate, her father accidentally gave her the name of one of opera’s enduring heroines. And n… ...

Violetta Cairoli, who has died aged 88, was the widow of Charlie Cairoli, one of the world's best-loved clowns. She came from one of the great circus dynasties. Her father was Paul Fratellini, a ...