8 May. Aurelian’s wall and the infrastructure of Rome in late antiquity. Lecture by Hendrik Dey. 18.00-19.30.

14 May. Titian at the BSR. Lady Sheila Hale, author of the acclaimed Titian: The Father of Modern Painting, gives a talk to coincide with the exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale. Afterwards, Irish Nobel Laureate poet Seamus Heaney will read his poem Actaeon. 18.00-19.30.

22 May. Function, message or status symbol? The mixed reasons behind the form of Early Christian baptisteries. Lecture by Olof Brandt. 18.00-19.30.

29 May. To the lands of the Sultan of Babylon: The papacy and trade with Muslims during the later Middle Ages. Lecture by Mike Carr. 18.00-19.30.

30 May. Piano concert on the occasion of the centenary of Benjamin Britten’s birthday (1913-2013). With pianist Daniele Buccio piano and composer Claudia Jane Scroccaro. 19.00-20.00.