Q: Most English-language readers probably learned the most about Italian culture through food. Are you a good cook? What Italian dish would you recommend that readers may not have tried before? When in Rome, can we enjoy pastries from Caffè Antonini?
A: I love eating but I’m not a good cook, although every now and then I give it a try. If I were to give you a piece of advice on food, I would say that traditional Roman dishes are really delicious, such as carbonara with short rigatoni or long spaghetti. It is traditionally prepared with eggs and pancetta, and in my opinion, it is a truly exceptional pasta when made in the right restaurants because sometimes people make mistakes with the wrong ingredients or technique.
In the Prati district, they serve Antonini’s canapés, the ones I describe in One Step to You, when Step realizes that the delivery boy is taking them to his mother, who is crazy about them. They are very special small sandwiches with oil that are cut in half, but only the lower part is used, and above there’s mayonnaise all around and in the center are oysters, shrimp, caviar, porcini mushrooms, or octopus, and many other flavors. You’re given slices of lemon to squeeze on the ones you like. They are really delicate and delicious canapés.
Q: There are two more books in this series. Can you give readers a hint about what is in store for Step and Babi in the future?
A: I cannot reveal too much because the good thing about the books is that you follow the protagonists and see what happens to them page after page. Babi and Step’s future is full of incredible things to come and that’s because he’s hopelessly in love with her. Although Babi’s family will try to keep them apart, and that’s when everything happens. There are big surprises waiting for you. Maybe love will not be able to counter the will of Babi’s parents, or it will keep Babi and Step together forever, but I cannot tell you more. But you can find out… it’s all there, written in the books.
Discussion Questions
1. Federico Moccia has often been praised for writing stories that pull at readers’ emotions. Looking back on the story, discuss the moments that were the most emotional for you. What moments made you cry? What moments made you laugh? Were there moments that made you angry?
2. This story celebrates the power of first love. Can you remember the intensity of your feelings the first time you fell in love? Do you think most people could be happy forever with their first love? Do you know where your first love is now?
3. What made Step so irresistible to Babi? What kind of partner do you find irresistible? Would you date a person that others don’t find suitable for you? Is it better to be in a long-term relationship with someone larger than life or with just a normal person who makes you happy?
4. Initially, it’s physical attraction that draws Step to Babi, but by the time he brings her to her dream house, he feels something deeper. What is it about Babi that causes Step to pursue her so relentlessly? What makes Step feel that their relationship can last forever?
5. The common saying that there’s a fine line between love and hate seems to apply early in Step and Babi’s relationship. What would you describe as the turning point in their relationship? When does Babi stop hating Step and start loving him?
6. When Step writes three meters above the sky on the wall, is that the most romantic moment in the book? If not, what do you see as the most romantic gesture Step makes for Babi?
7. Step and Babi both grow over the course of the story, breaking free of long-standing assumptions about school, life, and family. What are the most significant ways they change? What risks do they each take to be together? How do insecurity and jealousy influence their actions? What actions or decisions did you disagree with?
8. The story touches on the concept of forgiveness in many ways. The most obvious is when Step experiences a big betrayal by his mother. Do you think Step will ever be able to fully forgive his mother? Who should have helped Step? Do you think his father knew? Do you think the lawyer knew? Which character has the most to be forgiven for? Step or his mother? What other characters need forgiveness throughout the story and why?
9. After Step has been legally prosecuted for his violent behavior, everyone who knows this seems to view him differently. Do you think that society is treating him too harshly or not harshly enough? Did it make you angry when they assumed that Step was responsible for other bad acts? Do you think that Step can break the circle of violence? In what ways is Step’s story one of hope?
10. Step lets being a bad boy define who he is. Do you see this as an issue related to his self-worth? Do you think he will eventually attend college? What defines Babi? Being a good daughter? A good student? Is the answer about what defines them different for either of them by the end?
11. In a famous scene from the American film Rebel Without a Cause, the young men also engage in illegal street racing. Do you understand the need for speed? Do you think Babi enjoys any of the time riding behind Step on his bike? Do you think the risks of daredevil acts are outweighed by the thrill?
12. Babi rebels by getting a tattoo. Do you have a tattoo? Did you consider your tattoo an act of rebellion when you got it? Would you change anything about your tattoo?
13. This story was written more than twenty-five years ago and reflects the relationship between men and women at that time. Do you think we have made big advances in equality since then? What do you think equality between men and women really means, and how can we get there?
14. The city of Rome and its culture plays a big role in the story. Have you been to Italy and, if so, what did you enjoy most about it? How big an impact does the place where you live have on you—your personality, relationships with others, and world outlook?
15. The story uses many fun elements of 1980s pop culture to convey a sense of time and place including songs by Phil Collins, discotheques, and Walkmans, to name a few. Are you old enough to remember these things from the 1980s? Which of them did you enjoy?
16. How will having known Step impact Babi throughout her life? Has Babi changed for the better or worse since Step entered her life?
17. Is Step destined to lead an unhappy life, or has his relationship with Babi led him to a point where he can turn his life around?
18. At the book’s conclusion, do you think Step regrets dating Babi? Do you think Babi regrets dating Step? Are they stronger as individuals for knowing each other?
19. Are Step and Babi ultimately a good match? Do you think Step and Babi could have a successful marriage at some point in the future? Which makes the best match—a marriage of opposites or a marriage of similar personalities?
20. What do you think happens to Step and Babi’s relationship after the end of this book? Do you think Step will truly let Babi go? Do you think Babi will successfully move on? Why or why not?
About the Author
FEDERICO MOCCIA is one of Italy’s publishing phenomenons, and his emotional stories have been compared to the works of Nicholas Sparks and John Green. The first two Babi and Step books were blockbuster bestsellers in Italy, spending three full consecutive years on the Nielsen bestseller list. His books have been published in fifteen languages worldwide and have sold more than ten million copies, and there are feature films in Italian and Spanish based on the first two books in the trilogy.