Your Classical Companion
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 American Public Television
Extras
Sixty million American bison once thundered across the prairies of North America.
Syria’s uncertain future under jihadist-turned-statesman Ahmad al-Sharaa.
June 30, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on Trump's big bill facing GOP opposition
Dozens in Gaza killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire as U.S. makes new push for ceasefire
News Wrap: Idaho investigators identify alleged gunman in firefighter ambush attack
Senate pushes to pass Trump's budget as some Republicans voice concerns over Medicaid cuts
Operation Not Forgotten dedicates FBI agents to cold cases as Native families seek answers
Who would be affected by health care cuts in Senate version of Trump's budget bill
The power of stories helps young people overcome differences
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
Greece’s timeless art: Golden Age temples, alluring Venuses, and exuberant Winged Victory.
Early Europeans produce diverse art: from Christians to Muslims and Byzantines to Vikings.
Roaming Europe, we admire stately Neoclassical buildings and dramatic Romantic paintings.
The turbulent century and its rule-breaking art—Picasso, Surrealism and edgy architecture.
Shimmering Impressionist canvases by Monet and Renoir, plus Van Gogh, Gauguin and more.
Rome’s rise, as seen in its supersized monuments, colorful mosaics, and marble Caesars.
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.
From Portugal to Germany, booming economies and new technologies produce exquisite art.
We marvel at Stone Age cave paintings, mighty megaliths, and mysterious goddesses.