© 2025

FCC Public Inspection Files:
· · ·
· · ·
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Access to this video is a benefit to members

Rick Steves’ Europe: Art of the High Middle Ages

Season 12 Episode 1206 | 25m 36s

As Europe passed A.D. 1000, its growing prosperity was reflected in soaring Gothic cathedrals graced with colorful altarpieces, lacy stonework, and radiant stained glass. We visit luxurious castles to see exquisite tapestries showing a new secular love of worldly pleasures and, end in Italy, where pioneering artists like Giotto were mastering realism and pointing the way to the future of art.

Aired: 09/30/23 | Expires: 01/03/24
Distributed nationally by
Extras
Get a sneak peek at a brand new season of NATURE on PBS.
See how secret letters written by Mary, Queen of Scots, were finally decoded.
Discover how two revolutionary ancient inventions changed the course of humanity forever.
An unprecedented discovery could reveal new information about Cleopatra’s reign.
Learn about Marlee Matlin, Oscar-winning actress and champion of the Deaf community.
Marlee Matlin refused to allow a hearing actor to play her Deaf husband in the 2021 film “CODA.”
Marlee Matlin visits the house she grew up in Morton Grove, Illinois.
Henry Winkler took Marlee Matlin in for two years while she recovered from a turbulent time.
A new generation of lions, cheetahs, and leopards comes of age in Botswana’s Okavango Delta.
Follow ancient humans’ journey into an icy and perilous new land.
Latest Episodes
All
  • All
  • Rick Steves' Europe Season 12
  • Rick Steves' Europe Season 11
  • Rick Steves' Europe Season 10
  • Rick Steves' Europe Season 9
  • Rick Steves' Europe Season 8
  • Rick Steves' Europe Season 7
  • Rick Steves' Europe Season 6
  • Rick Steves' Europe Season 5
  • Rick Steves' Europe Season 4
  • Rick Steves' Europe Season 3
  • Rick Steves' Europe Season 2
  • Rick Steves' Europe Season 1
The turbulent century and its rule-breaking art—Picasso, Surrealism and edgy architecture.
Roaming Europe, we admire stately Neoclassical buildings and dramatic Romantic paintings.
Shimmering Impressionist canvases by Monet and Renoir, plus Van Gogh, Gauguin and more.
Early Europeans produce diverse art: from Christians to Muslims and Byzantines to Vikings.
The grand cities of ancient Rome’s vast empire and majestic churches of its fall.
From Portugal to Germany, booming economies and new technologies produce exquisite art.
We marvel at Baroque’s over-the-top churches, palaces, bubbly fountains, and theatric art.
Florence’s bold “rebirth” is powered by the genius of Leonardo, Rafael, and Michelangelo.
Rome’s rise, as seen in its supersized monuments, colorful mosaics, and marble Caesars.
Greece’s timeless art: Golden Age temples, alluring Venuses, and exuberant Winged Victory.