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

A Charitable Auction

Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, will offload around 270 items bestowed upon her by world leaders while abroad. The diverse haul 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 gilded heels.

These items, combined, are worth an estimated €800,000. The plan is to auctioned off in a public auction by a Rome-based fine art auction house. A date has not been finalized, although the intention is to conduct the sale during the holiday season, with the proceeds benefiting non-profit organizations.

Storage Room Collection

These gifts reportedly kept in a storage room on the upper level of the government headquarters. Sources state that Meloni is also planning to auction off gifts given to her preceding prime ministers that have been sitting unused indefinitely.

The full gift list is yet to be officially released, but a glimpse were revealed earlier this year when an 11-page list of items received was reviewed by officials. The query raised if a legal value limit was being honored. By law, a prime minister must declare presents exceeding €300.

An International Array of Presents

Notable gifts feature:

• A silk accessory from the leader of Albania, reportedly presented 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 fine china tea service and a selection of wines from the Hungarian prime minister.
• A pottery dish from the former US president.
• A digital device from the Ukrainian president.
• Artworks from the Moldovan government.
• Various other items including makeup, a skateboard, and several rugs received during trips to Libya and other Arab nations.

"Maybe the strangest gifts included the statuette from Milei and the blue python skin shoes," observers have said.

Diplomatic Context

Supporters have applauded Meloni, mainly from her own political sphere, with garnering support from international counterparts and positioning Italy as a prominent force on the international platform once again.

This charitable initiative highlights a novel approach to handle the state presents that are collected during a leader's tenure.