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Passing on unneeded gifts can be viewed as slightly impolite – except if it's done the right way.

A Charitable Sale

The Italian premier, Giorgia Meloni, is set to sell around 270 presents received by her by foreign dignitaries while abroad. The eclectic collection is said to contain gifts including a chainsaw-wielding statuette of Argentinian president Javier Milei and a pair of exotic blue snake-skin shoes with gold heels.

These items, together, are valued at around €800,000. They will be put up for sale via competitive bidding by a Italian auction firm. An exact timeline remains to be announced, but the intention is to hold the auction before Christmas, with the proceeds benefiting non-profit organizations.

Storage Room Collection

The items reportedly locked away in a secure area on the third floor of the government headquarters. Reports indicate that Meloni furthermore intending to auction off gifts given to her predecessors that have been stored away indefinitely.

A complete inventory is yet to be made public, but a glimpse were revealed earlier this year when an 11-page list of all declared gifts was submitted to lawmakers. The question centered on if a statutory cap on gift value was being followed. Legally, a prime minister is not permitted to keep presents exceeding €300.

A Global Assortment of Presents

Among the items:

• A silk accessory from the Albanian prime minister, allegedly 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 porcelain tea set and six bottles of wine from Hungary's leader.
• A ceramic bowl from the former US president.
• A electronic pad from the Ukrainian president.
• Paintings from Moldova.
• Various other items including cosmetics, a board, and several rugs from trips to North African and Middle Eastern countries.

"Possibly the strangest gifts were the statuette from Milei and the blue python skin shoes," one might note.

Political Backdrop

Meloni has been credited, particularly from her own political sphere, with winning over international counterparts and re-establishing Italy as a key protagonist on the international platform once again.

The forthcoming sale symbolizes a unconventional way to handle the state presents that accumulate during a political career.