THEhe scene repeats itself every autumn: in many Italian B&Bs, next to the suitcases that arrive, musical instruments and jars of preserves appearlaptop, small works of art. This is not an unusual collective move, but it simply is Barter Weekfrom 17 to 23 November, when traveling doesn’t mean booking a room, but short. It is that moment of the year when tourism abandons the logic of price and embraces another currency: what everyone knows how to do or wants to share.
600 B&Bs, 75,000 travelers actively searching
After the success of the last edition, the 2025 edition also starts with great energy. Over 600 B&Bs have already confirmed their membership and 75,000 users flock to the official website looking for the perfect exchange. And, the “Wish List”, the section where hosts publish what they would like to receive in exchange for their stay, resembles a map of creative Italy: from homemade wine to photo shoots, from music lessons to digital consultancyup to eccentric requests such as vintage action figures of the Knights of the Zodiac. The most sought after destinations are not surprising: Rome, Tuscany, Trentino-Alto Adige, Garda, Piedmont, Veneto.
Where barter becomes history: Puglia between tradition and digital
There Barter WeekIn short, works and this happens beyond the economic aspect of the initiative. It also works because each exchange tells a piece of Italy. In Puglia, for example, hospitality involves very concrete skills: We are looking for an electrician who knows how to bring order to a historic structure, a home staging expert to enhance an eighteenth-century trullo, someone capable of pruning trees or to support websites and SEO.
Barter Week is back: hospitality in Italian B&Bs in exchange for goods or know-how (Getty Images)
Memorabilia, gardeners and cat sitters between Umbria, Tuscany and Liguria
Again, Umbria call artisans, photographers, social media managerswhile B&Bs in Liguria add requests such as 90s memorabilia and German lessonseven remotely. Rural Tuscany focuses on manual activities, olive and wood harvesting, while the bed & breakfasts of Bergamo, they are looking for furniture, linens and small amenities to improve tourist apartments. In Fidenza, the B&Bs offer delicate exchanges, made more of care than services: gardeners and catsitters who provide time and reliability.
A model that combines circular economy and relationships
Beyond the folkloristic aspect, Barter Week is a concrete example of how tourism can become circular, not only from an environmental point of view. The absence of money shifts attention to use value, to competence, to gesture. The traveler is not a customer, but a temporary collaborator; the B&B is no longer just a place to stay, but a space that can be helped to improve. And in this exchange, local communities also gain new narratives and new energy.
Participating in Barter Week is simple
Anyone can participate, just visit the site weeklybaratto.it, choose a participating B&B and propose your exchange. Some hosts have specific requests, others are waiting for ideas. The only requirement is to enter into the spirit of the initiative, made up of respect, collaboration and creativity. Barter Week, in fact, intends to show that there are still forms of travel that do not pass through the wallet. It is not intended to be a romantic return to the pastbut a different way of experiencing the journey, giving more value to time and skills.