[Bell ringing] [Birds chirping] [Somber music] ♪ Narrator: At 26, Michelangelo is the rising star of Renaissance Italy.

For 5 years, he's been establishing himself as a talented sculptor in Rome.

Now he's heading home.

He's desperate to prove he's the greatest artist Florence has ever produced.

I'd known since I was a child that I was destined for far greater things than those around me.

I had challenged the ancients themselves and conquered Rome with my pietà.

♪ Man: Michelangelo was a driven artist.

He wants to be the best that is possible.

He is competitive.

He wants to do better than anybody else.

Michelangelo: I was the returning hero.

Florence's favorite son.

Or so I thought.

♪ Narrator: Also returning is the superstar artist of the day, Leonardo da Vinci.

He's been away in Milan building a dazzling reputation.

Now he's back in Florence, determined to secure his legacy.

If Michelangelo wants his name to go down in history as the greatest, he must first outshine Leonardo.

Michelangelo: I wanted to make my mark, eclipse Leonardo... and carve my name into Florentine history.

Sarah: Rivalry is profoundly embedded within the Renaissance.

There has to be somebody that you're competing with to make you want to up your game.

And I think that that is one of the things that makes Renaissance art so powerful.

Narrator: Going head to head, these two very different men will use all their creativity, ingenuity and skill, push each other to extraordinary new heights, and create some of the most brilliant art the world has ever seen.