Beniamino Gigli

He was also entirely unimpressed by worldly status.

Consider the encounter with Beniamino Gigli, one of the most famous operatic tenors in the world at the time.

Gigli arrives at the monastery in a chauffeured limousine, expecting the deference due to an international celebrity.

In Italian, the name Beniamino translates to beloved and Gigli translates to lily.

Her friend and critic, Alastair Macaulay, has been sharing her story.

Pauline began dancing in the 30s, and she remembered when she was 100 years old the huge voice of the great Italian, Beniamino Gigli.

But she was still very much in her teens then and learning her tricks.

As soon as the war broke up, everything changed.