The Wild Freedom of Being Twenty in Rome

When I was twenty, I joined some Au Pair groups on Facebook in various countries. I posted an about me and had messages from families pouring in. I had a call with a family in Rome and shortly after bought a ticket. 3 months later I am now living in Rome with a family I met on the internet…Great.

Finding My Way in the Eternal City

The family was actually really good to me. They provided me with my own room and bathroom and would take care of groceries, along with a weekly stipend, for only having to watch the kids for a couple hours a day. Before picking up the twins from school I would spend my mornings wandering the city, discovering tiny cafes, piazzas, and little corners of the city that felt completely mine.

I can’t lie though, the little girl I cared for was challenging. Her father told me she was the devil the first day I started (yikes). She’d tell me I was the “worst nanny ever” and fight me over everything. Some days I cried in my little room, deeply frustrated and questioning what I was even doing here. But even then, I was learning about patience, resilience, and how to find joy even when things aren’t perfect.

Nights Out and New Friends

Outside the house, Rome opened her arms. I met other Au pairs—girls like me, restless and eager to discover something new. At night we’d meet up in the Piazza, then find ourselves wandering into the bars and clubs. I’d flirt with boys for free drinks then disappear back to my friends and share with them. Men are too easy. Fridays at G bar were wild, They had unlimited shots on Fridays, we would bring a pen to mark tally’s on our wrist to keep track. We’d then find ourselves in a pizza shop at 2 am, sprawled across the tiny tables, laughing until our voices disappeared into the city. Those friendships became my sanctuary, a reminder that I was still me.

Magical Moments

There were quiet, magical moments too. On a bus to Siena, an older woman sat beside me, told me she was hosting a yoga retreat in Tuscany and we shared a taxi after the bus ride and she invited me in for wine. That motherly warmth, unexpected and gentle, softens an ache you might not even know you have when traveling alone.

I took a few trips with girls I had met in Rome, Its so beautiful how people you can just meet become sisters so quickly. We’d explore new cities together, eating gelato, and toasting limoncello shots along the way. Those trips were so silly and special, and made me feel more connected to this part of the world than I ever expected.

I had some friends invite me on a trip to Malta, I somehow booked the tickets for the wrong dates, so I took a solo trip instead. It was liberating to say the least. I spent the days wandering the streets, discovering beaches and walking the silent city. I barhopped with strangers I met at the hostel and ended up skinny dipping under the Mediterranean stars. Saltwater on my skin, the moon spilling light over the sea, I was wildly, beautifully free.

Wildly Free Self

Those four months were messy, fun, challenging, and alive. I sometimes cried, laughed a lot, flirted maybe a bit too much (i’m a Libra, what can I say) almost missed trains, and found people who became sisters to me.

Rome, and the little journeys beyond, It wasn’t perfect. and maybe that’s the point. Each journey takes me further inside myself, A glimpse of the untamed, fearless version, I’m just beginning to know.