“My home is a Ford Focus”, Roman has been living in his car for two years and talks about his days on social media

“My home is a Ford Focus.” Roman Zancarli is 26 years old, works as a courier for Amazon, is a separated father. But he was able to transform a situation of discomfort into creative deprivation. After months of gymkhanas to pay a rent that he could not afford, he decided to change strategy by choosing the house.. at zero km. «The first winter was mind-blowing. Since I became a content creator, many camping product companies have improved my life.”

Born in Odessa, adopted by a family from Verona, a history of self-harm, a broken marriage and a beautiful little girl, two years ago Roman decided to change his life. A choice dictated by contingencies, by the lack of job stability and therefore economic stability. But what at first seemed like an act of desperation is turning into the biggest opportunity of his life. After a difficult first few months, Roman began streamlining his Ford Focus and documenting his life on Instagram and YouTube.

This is how many companies in the sector have noticed him, proposing to make spaces and well-being more efficient thanks to a series of comfort products.

“Now my car is equipped with a refrigerator, a custom-made single memory foam mattress, a cabinet containing a power station, clothes divided into underwear, socks, normal clothes and more elegant ones,” he explained to Courier of Veneto. The car is also equipped with two 260 Watt portable and foldable photovoltaic panels, batteries with almost two kilowatts of autonomy, an induction plate for meals. And that’s not all. From the mounted roof rack he extracts a camping toilet and a rechargeable shower, to alternate with the times when he showers at the service station, a precious ally for those who don’t have a home.

When asked why he doesn’t live in a camper, he shows his salary: with 1300 euros a month it’s difficult to make a purchase of this type.

Roman usually lives in Verona, but in this period he moved to a parking lot in Vicenza with a bathroom. The neighbors started to know him and to establish positive relationships with him: from coffee to chats, to support in daily troubles (from a flat battery to other small misadventures). «The beauty of this way of life – he told Corriere – is that you can choose where to stop and spend the night. I work as a courier and often deliver to beautiful mountain villages. Sometimes I stop, sometimes I take notes and then I come back»

Two days ago, in a live broadcast, he talked about his birthday. “I’m here in a little restaurant treating myself to a slice of steak. My birthday is sad for me, because I don’t even know if it’s the real date,” he explained to his nearly 29,000 followers.

But Roman’s life today is different, far from the solitude of the past: friendships, encounters, adventures and an interesting experiment of a traveling house that could soon arrive on a platform. A Roman director has contacted Zancarli to shoot a documentary together that could be proposed to Amazon Prime.