It was a tremendously active day for St Hugh’s yesterday, as students toured the many historical hotspots of Oxford―the Ashmolean Museum and the Oxford Castle were the high points of the tour, and allowed Zeno to show off his Austrian flag to the maximum.

At the Ashmolean, students explored the art of the 14th and 15th centuries, admiring biblical scenes and the profiles of many a seated nobleman. Students also took a long, savouring look around the Raphael exhibition currently on show at the Museum, which displays 120 captivating drawings by the Renaissance artist. And over in the Oxford Castle, students felt the chill of the doomy dungeons―complete with a brief moment in the stocks―and scaled the heights of the Saxon Tower (topped with a Saint George’s Cross) to play at Empress Matilda looking down on the enemy troops at siege to the castle walls.

Back in St Hugh’s, there were more flags to be seen: the Italian flag was briefly wrested from its place amongst the Paraguayan, Turkish and Lebanese blazons hanging from students’ windows to grace the back of one of our performers in ORA’s Got Talent yesterday evening. This served very well to create a patriotic atmosphere for the boys’ rendition of the Italian national anthem, or Il Canto degli Italiani. Other impressive acts included singing, martial arts, and moody bass guitar.