In honor of Yvette Mimieux, the original Clara Johnson from the 1962 version.
The place, Florence, Italy. The time, summer 1953.
Everyone was out seeing the sights, including Clara Johnson and her mother, Margaret, who was reading through her guidebook.
"Now the most impressive antithesis in Florence is the Piazza della Signoria, or Palazzo Vecchio, attributed by tradition to Arnolfo di Cambio, 1298 to 1314. The tower soars to a height of 160 fee..."
Margaret stopped herself when she saw her cat, Tom lying on top of one of the stone lions.
"Tom?" she called out to him. "Thomas?"
Tom didn't respond. He just stayed on top of that lion, sleeping away.
"Thomas, get down from there!" demanded Margaret.
Having been woken up so abruptly, Tom rolled his eyes in annoyance as he climbed down.
"You know better than that." said Margaret. "What do you think that is, some kind of lounge chair?"
Tom only shrugged when Clara walked up to her...
"Mother, what did you say this place is called?"
"Piazza della Signoria." replied Margaret.
"It's nice." said Clara, marveling at her surroundings. "What happened here?"
"Well, let's take a look, shall we?" said Margaret as she looked through her guidebook.
Margaret Johnson:
On a central square
In the city of the sun Rosa Palace
It was high and handsome
Gleaming like the crown of a king
"Where would that be?" asked Clara "Where is that?"
Margaret:
In the tower
A warning bell would ring
Clara Johnson:
What kind of warning?
Margaret:
For a fire
Or river overflowing
Clara:
Oh
Margaret:
Firenze
On a central square
The beginning of a kingdom republic
Clara:
Was there a king? Was there a queen?
Margaret:
There were princes painters
Nobleman of logic and art
Clara:
Firenze!
Margaret:
Leonardo...
Clara:
Leonardo...
Margaret:
Michaelangelo, the start
"That's a completely naked statue!" Clara exclaimed, pointing at the David, to Tom's annoyance. So much so, he palmed his face in embarrassment.
Margaret:
T'was a dawning day
Unfurling...
Clara:
From the heart...
The painting of the world we know
Both:
The world we know
They went on, touring through Florence, unaware that they were followed by a little brown mouse, whose name was Jerry.
Both:
On a central square
Margaret:
In the city made of statues and stories
Clara:
Go on and tell me what they mean
Margaret:
It ignited there like a beacon coming out of the dark
You can feel it...
Clara:
You can feel it...
Margaret:
You can follow...
Clara:
You can follow...
Margaret:
The Spark
"We're on vacation!" Clara sang to a fellow passerby.
With an embarrassed smiled on his face, Tom drew her away, catching up with Margaret.
Margaret:
From an age to an age
Clara:
From an age to an age
Margaret:
In Firenze...
Clara:
In Firenze...
Margaret:
In Firenze...
Clara:
In Firenze...
Margaret:
The spark, the world
Clara (overlapping with Margaret):
The painting of the world
Both:
It started there and then and here we are
It a new old world to me
It's a new old world and we are here!
"Your father and I took our honeymoon before the war." Margaret explained to Clara, who asked. "Really?"
"And this is my first time back." said Margaret. "I think it's my favorite place on Earth."
"I can see why." said Clara.
"The openness...the light...and what else?" Margaret went on, looking through her guidebook. "From her site on the great route from upper Italy to Rome, she commanded the passage on the Arno...they call cities she here. I bet you didn't know that."
"I bet she'd lose her bet." Clara said to Tom while Margaret resumed reading. "Thanks to her great success in war and industry...wool, silk, furs...Florence became one of the foremost trading centers in all of Europe. In fact, the gold Florina became widely recognized as the..."
"We're here!" Clara interrupted, dragging her mother and Tom further into another part of the city, where more people were out and about, still unaware that Jerry was following them.
Clara:
On a central square
Margaret:
In the city made of statues and stories
Both:
It ignited there like a beacon coming out of the dark
Clara:
You can feel it...
Margaret:
You can feel it...
Clara:
You can follow...
Margaret:
You can follow...
Clara:
You can feel it...
Margaret:
You can feel it...
Clara:
You can follow...
Margaret:
You can follow the spark...
Clara:
We're on vacation!
Margaret:
We're on vacation!
Tourists:
Ah...
Clara:
In Firenze...
Margaret:
In Firenze
Clara:
In Firenze
Margaret:
In Firenze
The spark, the world
Clara (overlapping with Margaret):
The painting of the world
Both:
It started then and there and here we are!
It's a new old world to me
It's a new old world and we are finally here!
As Tom followed Clara and Margaret, he found himself tripping into a fountain.
Popping his head out of the water, he saw that it was Jerry who tripped him.
The little mouse gave a wave, then hopped down from the fountain, which an angry Tom leapt out of, chasing him all around the piazza.