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Passing on undesired gifts can be considered a little discourteous – except if it's done in the proper manner.

A Philanthropic Auction

Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, plans to auction an estimated 270 presents received by her by world leaders on official trips. The eclectic collection could include gifts including a miniature chainsaw-holding statuette of Argentina's leader Javier Milei and a pair of exotic blue snake-skin shoes with gilded heels.

These items, together, are valued at around €800,000. The plan is to sold to the highest bidder by a Italian art dealer. A date is yet to be set, but the intention is to hold the auction before Christmas, with the revenue going to non-profit organizations.

Palazzo Chigi Treasures

The presents reportedly locked away in a storage room on the upper level of Palazzo Chigi. Reports indicate that Meloni furthermore planning to auction off gifts received by her political forerunners that have been stored away indefinitely.

The full gift list is yet to be officially released, but partial details were revealed earlier this year when a comprehensive document of official presents was presented in parliament. The question focused on if a statutory cap on gift value was being respected. According to regulation, a prime minister must declare presents exceeding €300.

A Global Array of Presents

Among the items:

• A scarf from the Albanian prime minister, reportedly given to Meloni for her birthday during a meeting abroad.
• A sari from Kerala from the Indian leader.
• A set of adornments from the Slovakian president.
• A porcelain tea set and six bottles of wine from the Hungarian prime minister.
• A ceramic bowl from the former US president.
• A tablet from the leader of Ukraine.
• Artworks from the Moldovan government.
• Additional objects including makeup, a board, and several rugs received during trips to North African and Middle Eastern countries.

"Maybe the oddest gifts included the Milei figurine and the blue python skin shoes," one might note.

Political Backdrop

Meloni has been credited, particularly from within her party, with garnering support from foreign leaders and making Italy as a significant player on the international platform once again.

This charitable initiative represents a novel approach to deal with the protocol gifts that accumulate during a leader's tenure.