What is the importance of Italy in the book, After Sappho?

Much of After Sappho takes place in Italy between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries. Many of the characters in the novel are Italian feminists, lesbians, and artists. Schwartz often details the political and cultural suppression of women and queer people in Italy during this time; the all-male Italian government passes a series of laws that restricts women’s rights, centralizes the societal power of men, and entirely ignores homosexuality. Late in the novel, Schwartz describes the rise of Fascism that only extends and deepens the institutional discrimination and hatred within the country.