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Passing on unneeded presents could be seen as slightly impolite – except if it's done the right way.

A Charitable Auction

The leader of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, will offload around 270 items bestowed upon her by international figures while abroad. This unusual assortment is said to contain gifts including a miniature chainsaw-holding statuette of Argentina's leader Javier Milei and a pair of blue python skin shoes with gilded heels.

These items, combined, have an approximate value of €800,000. The plan is to put up for sale in a public auction by a Rome-based fine art auction house. An exact timeline is yet to be set, although the goal is to hold the auction before Christmas, with the proceeds donated to a selection of charitable causes.

Palazzo Chigi Treasures

These gifts are currently kept in a storage room on the upper level of the prime minister's official office. Sources state that Meloni furthermore planning to auction off gifts received by her predecessors that have been sitting unused indefinitely.

A complete inventory has not yet been officially released, but partial details emerged earlier this year when a detailed register of items received was submitted to lawmakers. The question raised if a statutory cap on gift value was being honored. According to regulation, a prime minister is not permitted to keep presents exceeding €300.

An International Assortment of Presents

The collection includes:

• A silk accessory from the Albanian prime minister, reportedly presented to Meloni for her birthday during a meeting abroad.
• A sari from Kerala from India's prime minister.
• A box of jewellery from the president of Slovakia.
• A porcelain tea set and six bottles of wine from the Hungarian prime minister.
• A pottery dish from the former US president.
• A tablet from the Ukrainian president.
• Paintings from the Moldovan government.
• An assortment including makeup, a board, and several rugs received during trips to North African and Middle Eastern countries.

"Maybe the most unusual gifts included the statuette from Milei and the blue python skin shoes," reports suggest.

Diplomatic Context

Supporters have applauded Meloni, mostly from within her party, with garnering support from international counterparts and positioning Italy as a prominent force on the international platform once again.

This unique auction symbolizes a novel approach to handle the protocol gifts that accumulate during a leader's tenure.