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Getting rid of unwanted presents might be considered a little discourteous – unless it's done in the proper manner.

A Philanthropic Sale

The Italian premier, Giorgia Meloni, plans to auction around 270 presents received by her by world leaders while abroad. This unusual assortment is said to contain objects like 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, have an approximate value of €800,000. They will be sold in a public auction by a Rome-based fine art auction house. A date has not been finalized, although the goal is to hold the auction by year's end, with the proceeds benefiting non-profit organizations.

Storage Room Holdings

These gifts are currently kept in a secure area on the third floor of Palazzo Chigi. It has been reported that Meloni is also planning to auction off gifts given to her preceding prime ministers that have been gathering dust for years.

A complete inventory has not yet been officially released, but partial details were revealed earlier this year when a comprehensive document of official presents was reviewed by officials. The discussion raised if a statutory cap on gift value was being honored. Legally, a prime minister is not permitted to keep presents valued above €300.

An International Assortment of Presents

The collection includes:

• A woven wrap from the Albanian prime minister, allegedly given to Meloni for her birthday during a meeting abroad.
• A sari from Kerala from the Indian leader.
• A case of jewelry from the Slovakian president.
• A porcelain tea set and six bottles of wine from Hungary's leader.
• A pottery dish from the ex-American leader.
• A tablet from the leader of Ukraine.
• Artworks from Moldova.
• An assortment including cosmetics, a skateboard, and numerous carpets from trips to North African and Middle Eastern countries.

"Perhaps the most unusual gifts were the statuette from Milei and the blue python skin shoes," one might note.

Diplomatic Backdrop

The prime minister has received praise, mostly from her own political sphere, with garnering support from global statesmen and re-establishing Italy as a significant player on the world stage once again.

This charitable initiative highlights a unconventional way to deal with the diplomatic artifacts that build up during a time in office.