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Relinquishing undesired gifts can be viewed as slightly impolite – unless it's done the right way.

A Philanthropic Sale

Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, will offload a reported 270 items bestowed upon her by world leaders while abroad. The diverse haul could include objects like a miniature chainsaw-holding statuette of Argentina's leader Javier Milei and a pair of exotic blue snake-skin shoes with gilded heels.

The collection, collectively, are valued at around €800,000. They are scheduled to be auctioned off to the highest bidder by a Italian fine art auction house. The specific date remains to be announced, but the intention is to conduct the sale during the holiday season, with all funds raised donated to non-profit organizations.

Palazzo Chigi Holdings

These gifts are currently stored in a storage room on the third floor of the government headquarters. Reports indicate that Meloni is also considering auction off gifts given to her political forerunners that have been sitting unused for years.

The detailed catalog has not yet been officially released, but a glimpse emerged earlier this year when a detailed register of official presents was submitted to lawmakers. The query centered on whether a statutory cap on gift value was being honored. By law, a prime minister is not permitted to keep presents exceeding €300.

An International Array of Presents

Among the items:

• A scarf from the Albanian prime minister, reportedly presented to Meloni for her birthday during a meeting abroad.
• A traditional Kerala dress from India's prime minister.
• A case of jewelry from the Slovakian president.
• A fine china tea service and six bottles of wine from Hungary's leader.
• A pottery dish from the ex-American leader.
• A tablet from the leader of Ukraine.
• Watercolour paintings from Moldova.
• An assortment including cosmetics, a board, and several rugs from trips to Libya and other Arab nations.

"Maybe the most unusual gifts were the statuette from Milei and the exotic footwear," one might note.

Diplomatic Context

The prime minister has received praise, particularly from her allies, with building relationships with international counterparts and re-establishing Italy as a prominent force on the international platform once again.

The forthcoming sale represents a novel approach to deal with the protocol gifts that build up during a time in office.