I spent two months living with an Italian family I’d never met

At the beginning of my gap year, I was unsure of where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. I knew that I wanted to travel and work abroad, but I didn’t know what was accessible and had never been out of the country on my own.

Six months later, I found myself eating pesto pasta at a kitchen table in Northern Italy, sat between two people I had only ever spoken to over the phone. I’d just spent 12 hours hopping on and off of planes and trains, with nothing but a suitcase upstairs in their guest room. I was about to live with these two people, and their two children, for two months.

I’d discovered Worldpackers, a volunteering community offering work exchanges in over 100 countries, after unexpectedly dropping out of university two weeks before my second year started. After signing up, I immediately searched opportunities in Italy; I have family connections in Florence, and had been itching to return to the country again since visiting Venice in 2019. I was eager for something out of my comfort zone, and so after a few weeks of discussing the position with who would later become my hosts, I was chosen to teach English to a small family who lived in Rapallo- a mother and a father, two boys, and a sleepy cat.

All of my food and accommodation would be free in exchange with helping around the house, gardening, and daily tutoring sessions with each member of the family.

Their pale-yellow home was perched on the side of a steep hill covered in rich greenery and wild poppies, overlooking the mouth to the Ligurian sea. Their huge garden was brimming with fruit trees, which we would regularly pick to bake lemon cakes and make olive oil with, and every evening, we would eat outside together and watch the lighthouse flicker at the tip of Portofino.

I had the freedom to develop my own routine within the boundaries of their household rules. I maintained a close relationship with each member of the family, adapting myself to their interests to navigate our conversations and develop their English speaking skills. The youngest son and I would bake, the eldest and I would garden, the father and I would watch documentaries, and the mother and I would cook together and drink sangria on the patio in the evenings.

“We want you to feel like a daughter and a sister in our home,” they would tell me, and consistently checked that I felt comfortable at all times- and I did. The kitchen was permanently stocked with my favourite foods for when I felt homesick, I was introduced to every family friend, and I would be the focal point of every conversation at dinner time. They would listen closely to my stories about my childhood, my future plans, and my favourite things, before sharing their own stories and educating me on Italian history: the origins of pizza, the nuances of the country’s politics, and all of the ancient landmarks up and down the country.

I had two days off a week where I was encouraged to travel as much as I could. I was sent on my way with scribbled recommendations of restaurants, galleries, and shops, and bounced between Pisa, Genoa, Florence, Milan, Lake Como, Crema, Cinque Terre, Tuscany, and a collection of small towns in between.

I learnt the significance of immersing yourself into a different culture. Volunteering abroad was a way for me to see different angles of a new country that I wouldn’t have been able to access had I just visited for a weekend. I haven’t seen the Colosseum or the Trevi Fountain (yet!), but I have been to Sunday services in tiny churches on the Ligurian coastline, drank wine and played cards with hostel mates on a terrace beside Brunelleschi’s Dome, and ridden on a bus through the Carrara Quarries where Michelangelo chipped away the marble that would later become the sculpture of David. I learnt how to bond with others through food and the importance of sharing a meal together, as well as how to carry basic Italian conversations, and how immersion offers a depth of understanding that no language tutoring app can replicate.

Above all, I discovered my passion for solo travelling. If you’re able to step onto a plane by yourself and navigate a new country, near or far, you can tackle anything. I learnt that I thrive when I am alone somewhere new, and have the freedom to go wherever I want, whenever I want. My trip challenged me emotionally and mentally, transforming my confidence, adaptability, and cross-cultural communication. It also transformed my financial stability, as I now read Skyscanner like it’s the morning paper.

It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.