Humanities supports several academic programmes for BSR scholars and residents, to which members of local academic institutions and the Italian public are also invited. Activities include a lecture programme of public and in-house lectures, book presentations, seminars, conferences and site visits.

The lecture programme runs throughout the academic year, October to June, with speakers from the fields of archaeology, art history, classics, history, literature, fine arts, architecture and architectural history, covering all periods to the present. Lecturers include international and local scholars, and an important aspect of the programme is the presentation of projects by BSR award-holders. These are conducted towards the end of their tenure and highlight new research in a number of disciplines. Artists' talks enable the resident art and architecture scholars to present their work to the other members of the BSR, and to Italian artists and critics.  (lecture abstracts)

With the excellent facilities provided by the new Sainsbury lecture theatre, the Humanities' programme is able to host lectures and events initiated by, or in collaboration with, other academies and institutions. These augment the interdisciplinary nature of the lecture programme and promote intellectual exchange, both within the BSR and amongst the wider academic community. Book presentations also attract distinguished speakers and signal the appearance of new material from a variety of fields. (news and events)

A number of conferences each year are organized around research projects and interests of BSR staff and scholars, as well as in collaboration with local or international scholars and institutions, providing a forum for a wide range of speakers from a variety of disciplines.

Scholars and residents are given valuable assistance in obtaining access to the many libraries, archives, private, church, municipal and state-owned collections or buildings in Italy which are not normally open to the public.

Site visits , organised on a regular basis by the Humanities programme, are often the result of special permissions for individuals. They are intended to enhance the research interests of staff, scholars and residents with first-hand experience, and to enrich the understanding of Italian history and culture. Although usually conducted within Rome and environs, they also take place further afield, to archaeological sites, places of architectural, artistic or historical significance, venues of temporary exhibitions and centres of traditional Italian customs and culture.