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Passing on unwanted gifts could be seen as slightly impolite – unless it's done the right way.

A Philanthropic Sale

The Italian premier, Giorgia Meloni, plans to auction a reported 270 presents received by her by international figures on official trips. This unusual assortment could include gifts including a miniature chainsaw-holding statuette of Argentinian president Javier Milei and a pair of exotic blue snake-skin shoes with gold heels.

The collection, together, are worth an estimated €800,000. They are scheduled to be put up for sale in a public auction by a Rome-based auction firm. A date remains to be announced, but the intention is to conduct the sale by year's end, with all funds raised benefiting a selection of charitable causes.

Storage Room Treasures

These gifts reportedly kept in a storage room on the third floor of the government headquarters. Sources state that Meloni is also considering auction off gifts received by her preceding prime ministers that have been sitting unused indefinitely.

The full gift list remains officially released, but some insight were revealed earlier this year when a detailed register of official presents was submitted to lawmakers. The discussion centered on if a rule restricting expensive presents was being respected. According to regulation, a prime minister is not permitted to keep presents exceeding €300.

A Global Assortment of Presents

The collection includes:

• A silk accessory from the Albanian prime minister, reportedly given to Meloni for her birthday during a meeting abroad.
• A traditional Kerala dress from the Indian leader.
• A box of jewellery from the Slovakian president.
• A porcelain tea set and a selection of wines from Hungary's leader.
• A ceramic bowl from the former US president.
• A tablet from the leader of Ukraine.
• Artworks from Moldova.
• An assortment including makeup, a board, and several rugs received during trips to North African and Middle Eastern countries.

"Perhaps the strangest gifts included the Milei figurine and the blue python skin shoes," observers have said.

Political Backdrop

Meloni has been credited, mostly from her allies, with garnering support from global statesmen and positioning Italy as a key protagonist on the international platform once again.

This unique auction represents a novel approach to deal with the state presents that build up during a leader's tenure.