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Relinquishing undesired presents might be considered slightly impolite – unless it's done the right way.

A Charitable Sale

The Italian premier, Giorgia Meloni, will offload around 270 items bestowed upon her by international figures on official trips. This unusual assortment reportedly features gifts including a chainsaw-wielding statuette of Argentina's leader Javier Milei and a pair of exotic blue snake-skin shoes with gilded heels.

The collection, collectively, are worth an estimated €800,000. They are scheduled to be put up for sale via competitive bidding by a Rome-based art dealer. An exact timeline has not been finalized, but the aim is to conduct the sale during the holiday season, with all funds raised going to a selection of charitable causes.

Storage Room Holdings

The presents reportedly locked away in a repository on the third floor of the government headquarters. It has been reported that Meloni furthermore planning to auction off gifts given to her political forerunners that have been gathering dust over a long period.

A complete inventory remains made public, but a glimpse emerged earlier this year when an 11-page list of items received was presented in parliament. The discussion raised if a statutory cap on gift value was being respected. Legally, a prime minister is not permitted to keep presents worth more than €300.

An International Array of Gifts

Notable gifts feature:

• A scarf from the leader of Albania, reportedly given to Meloni for her birthday during a meeting abroad.
• A customary Indian garment from the Indian leader.
• A box of jewellery from the Slovakian president.
• A fine china tea service and a selection of wines from the Hungarian prime minister.
• A pottery dish from the ex-American leader.
• A digital device from the leader of Ukraine.
• Artworks from the Moldovan government.
• Various other items including cosmetics, a board, and several rugs received during trips to Libya and other Arab nations.

"Maybe the strangest gifts were the statuette from Milei and the blue python skin shoes," observers have said.

Political Context

Meloni has been credited, mostly from within her party, with building relationships with foreign leaders and making Italy as a key protagonist on the global scene once again.

The forthcoming sale highlights a unconventional way to manage the state presents that build up during a political career.