From a traditional Tuscan house that challenges food poverty in Florence, to a Belgian ‘book-lovers room’ that helps to increase forest cover in Flanders, these stylish stays offer the chance for rest and relaxation while donating to community projects
With the Christmas festivities over, January feels like a good time to plan your next getaway – but you don’t have to wait until summer for a break. Booking a holiday in the quieter winter months can be a great way to get a deal on flights and accommodation, and it’s also often better for the communities you visit: it helps to tackle over-tourism and overcrowding, brings in much-needed year-round revenue, and importantly, reduces pressure on communities and local services.
Creating a more sustainable, equitable style of tourism is one of the core tenets of Fairbnb, the alternative booking engine that’s “powered by people, activists and organisations, not faceless investors”. Co-founder Emanuele Dal Carlo sees the site as a paradigm for a different kind of tourism – one that’s more responsive to local needs.
By selecting hosts and properties that conform to its manifesto – for example, by placing limits on listing numbers, and asking local ambassadors to provide community perspectives – the site aims to provide a more ethical alternative to the booking behemoths such as Airbnb and booking.com. The site also donates half of its 15% commission to local community projects at no extra cost to the guest.
Whether it’s a rural or mountainous locale you’re looking for, or something more urban, here are five of our favourite Fairbnbs.
Green-powered farmhouse, Tuscany, Italy
In 2020, two young scientists, Croatian Eva and Swiss-Italian Luca, swapped well-paid careers in Switzerland for a chance to live the good life in the Tuscan countryside. They bought a medieval farmhouse on a hillside overlooking Chianti and set about renovating it while also growing their own vegetables, farming livestock and producing olive oil. Their rambling house offers three self-contained apartments, all with traditional stonework, hefty wooden beams and sweeping views over the Chianti hills.
Despite its historic architecture, the house is almost entirely powered by renewable energy. “Moving to the countryside allowed us to realise one of our dreams: to become self-sufficient and energy independent,” says Luca. Renting out our apartments was a way to supplement our income, but we don’t like the monopolistic approach of the big booking sites. For us, listing with Fairbnb offers us a more ethical alternative.”
Project supported: Pane Quotidiano, which redistributes food to those in need.
Book here.
The sun sets over vineyards in Chianti, Italy. Stock image, by Ken Shono
The book-lovers’ room, Antwerp, Belgium
Bibliophiles will feel quite at home in this stylish 1880s Antwerp apartment, with its tome-lined shelves, stained glass and antique furniture. On a quiet street near Central station, it’s a great bolthole for exploring the city. Antwerp’s main shopping street, Meir, is a stroll away, as is the workshop and former house of artist Rubens, plus the MAS Museum. “I think we need a new kind of tourism. The old kind is worn out,” says owner Anne Provoost, a longtime Antwerp resident and a knowledgeable guide to the city. “I listed with Fairbnb because of the social aspect. My house is committed to low use of water, heating, eco-friendly soaps and perfumes, no meat, no smoking. I hope to find guests who share my ethics.”
Project supported: Natuurpunt, which works to increase forest cover in Flanders.
Book here.
The cubic design of MAS – the Museum Aan de Stroom – envelops 10 themed floors that relate to the city's art and culture. Image: Frans Ruiter
The old post office, Cornwall, UK
Located way out on the UK’s western tip on the Penwith peninsula, near Land’s End, this two-storey annexe sits at the bottom of owner Andrew Vinall’s garden. As its name suggests, his house was once the village post office, and it’s been converted into a stylish, eclectic space, with slate floors downstairs, and a cosy mezzanine bedroom up in the eaves. Penwith’s windswept coast and moors offer ample potential for stargazing and blustery walks, and the area is littered with intriguing ancient monuments. “The downside with the big booking sites is they’re too money-driven,” Vinall says. “Fairbnb strives to combat that imbalance by donating to local charities. We’d much rather money went that way than to the venture capitalists.”
Project supported: The Big Issue Foundation
Book here.
Cornwall is a prime spot for stargazing. Image: St Just, by Benjamin Davies
A rustic, mountain retreat, Italy
For a taste of life in the mountains, this stone house in Italy’s Ossola Alps is just the thing. Hefty stone walls, rustic furniture, an old-fashioned iron range and a roaring fireplace make it feel like stepping back into the Italy of yesteryear, and there are incredible vistas over the Ossola valley from the veranda. Europe’s second highest mountain range, Monte Rosa, looms in the distance, with lots of opportunities for winter sports and frosty hikes. For owner Caterina Galdi, “it’s important to find new ways to help our local communities and our environment”.
Project supported: Germinale Cooperativa Agricola Di Comunità, a charity that works on building more sustainable forms of agriculture.
Book here.
A hiker in the Ossolo Valley, with a glacier in the background. Image by AleMasche72
A sunny townhouse, Porto, Portugal
Portugal is hard to beat for winter sunshine, and the stylish second city of Porto offers art, architecture and urban style aplenty. This charming, lemon-yellow townhouse lies among the back streets of the city’s atmospheric old town, and inside it’s a light, bright, modern space, with French doors opening on to wrought-iron balconies, and three spacious, uncluttered bedrooms that can accommodate multiple guests.
Project supported: Re-food Foz do Douro, which works to reduce food waste and redistribute food to those in need.
Book here.
Second to none: Porto on a sunny day is hard to beat. Image: Aleh Varanishcha
Main image: Your stay at one Fairbnb property in Antwerp helps to support tree-planting by the organisation Natuurpunt, which works to increase forest cover in Flanders. Stock image by Nikola Stojadinovic
Support our journalism in 2025
Positive News is helping more people than ever to get a balanced and uplifting view of the world. While doom and gloom dominates other news outlets, our solutions journalism exists to support your wellbeing and empower you to make a difference towards a better future.
But our reporting has a cost and, as an independent, not-for-profit media organisation, we rely on the financial backing of our readers. If you value what we do and can afford to, please get behind our team with a regular or one-off contribution.
Give once from just £1, or join 1,500+ others who contribute an average of £3 or more per month. You’ll be directly funding the production and sharing of our stories – helping our solutions journalism to benefit many more people.
Join our community today, and together, we’ll change the news for good.
