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Rick Steves' Europe
Rick Steves Art of the Middle Ages
After Rome fell, Europe spent a thousand years in its Middle Ages. Its art shows how the light of civilization flickered in monasteries and on Europe’s fringes: Christian Byzantium, Moorish Spain, and pagan Vikings. Then, around A.D. 1000, Europe rebounded. The High Middle Ages brought majestic castles, radiant Gothic cathedrals, and exquisite art that dazzled the faithful and the secular alike.
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Highlights of Paris: Eiffel Tower; Seine cruise; neighborhood markets, a nighttime joyride.
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Rivers and canals of France’s Burgundy region; gourmet meals; fine wine, natural beauty.
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Seductive Venice; cultured Florence; charming hill towns; eternal Rome; Naples; Sicily.
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Warsaw's heavy history and lively bustle; red-brick Toruń; Malbork Castle; maritime Gdańsk.
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Kraków's grand square, Wawel Castle, communist-era Nowa Huta; sobering Auschwitz-Birkenau.
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The ultimate road trip; Lake Mývatn; Eastfjords; lagoons and waterfalls; Westman Islands.
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The vibrant capital; Blue Lagoon; Golden Circle's majestic nature; Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
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The turbulent century and its rule-breaking art—Picasso, Surrealism and edgy architecture.
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Shimmering Impressionist canvases by Monet and Renoir, plus Van Gogh, Gauguin and more.
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25:18
Roaming Europe, we admire stately Neoclassical buildings and dramatic Romantic paintings.
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We marvel at Baroque’s over-the-top churches, palaces, bubbly fountains, and theatric art.
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From Portugal to Germany, booming economies and new technologies produce exquisite art.