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Relinquishing unwanted offerings can be considered a little discourteous – unless it's done the right way.

A Philanthropic Sale

The Italian premier, Giorgia Meloni, is set to sell around 270 presents received by her by foreign dignitaries during her travels. The diverse haul is said to contain 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, combined, 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, although the aim is to hold the auction during the holiday season, with the proceeds going to a selection of charitable causes.

Storage Room Treasures

The items are said to be stored in a storage room on the third floor of the prime minister's official office. Reports indicate that Meloni furthermore planning to auction off gifts given to her preceding prime ministers that have been sitting unused over a long period.

A complete inventory has not yet been made public, but some insight were revealed earlier this year when an 11-page list of official presents was submitted to lawmakers. The query focused on whether a statutory cap on gift value was being respected. By law, a prime minister must declare presents worth more than €300.

An International Array of Gifts

The collection includes:

• A silk accessory 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 case of jewelry from the president of Slovakia.
• A fine china tea service and six bottles of wine from the Hungarian prime minister.
• A pottery dish from the ex-American leader.
• A digital device from the Ukrainian president.
• Watercolour paintings from the Moldovan government.
• Various other items including cosmetics, a board, and several rugs received during trips to Libya and other Arab nations.

"Possibly the oddest gifts included the statuette from Milei and the blue python skin shoes," reports suggest.

Political Backdrop

Supporters have applauded Meloni, mainly from within her party, with winning over global statesmen and re-establishing Italy as a key protagonist on the world stage once again.

This unique auction represents a novel approach to handle the state presents that are collected during a political career.