The Flamethrowers

All Reno has on her is her passport, some money, and her camera, but she allows the groundskeeper, named Gianni, to drive her to Rome. Gianni brings her to an apartment where many men are gathered, listening for news about the upcoming demonstration. A woman named Lidia makes Reno some spaghetti. The apartment is crowded, and the men are unkempt. Reno’s sudden change in environment is the polar opposite of the idyllic villa she left behind. There is another young woman in the apartment who argues a bit with Gianni in the next room. The next day, this girl, named Bene, takes Reno with her around the city to pass out flyers. Reno admires the political graffiti of the city, which is so different than the stylistic but uncommunicative street art of New York. Bene introduces Reno as “an American who told Roberto Valera to fuck off” (552), and Reno doesn’t correct her. Reno recalls her first visit to Rome in college: two days of tourism and cultural destinations. Now, she sees the underbelly of Rome, rich with community and vibrant with personality. People of all walks of non-wealthy life gather in the Piazza Esedra with signs advocating for labor freedom and equality.