Biden Bowl, Anyone? Meloni to Auction Off International Gifts for Charity

Relinquishing undesired gifts might be seen as slightly impolite – except if it's done the right way.

A Philanthropic Clear-Out

Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, will offload an estimated 270 items bestowed upon her by international figures during her travels. The eclectic collection could include gifts including a chainsaw-wielding statuette of Argentina's leader Javier Milei and a pair of exotic blue snake-skin shoes with gold heels.

The presents, combined, have an approximate value of €800,000. They will be auctioned off in a public auction by a Rome-based auction firm. An exact timeline has not been finalized, but the aim is to hold the auction by year's end, with the revenue benefiting various charities.

Palazzo Chigi Holdings

The items are currently kept in a storage room on the third floor of the government headquarters. Sources state that Meloni furthermore planning to auction off gifts received by her political forerunners that have been gathering dust over a long period.

The detailed catalog has not yet been disclosed, but a glimpse were revealed earlier this year when an 11-page list of all declared gifts was reviewed by officials. The query centered on whether a statutory cap on gift value was being followed. By law, a prime minister must declare presents exceeding €300.

An International Assortment of Presents

Among the items:

• A silk accessory from the Albanian prime minister, reportedly presented to Meloni for her birthday during a meeting abroad.
• A sari from Kerala 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 leader of Ukraine.
• Artworks from Moldova.
• An assortment including makeup, a skateboard, and several rugs received during trips to Libya and other Arab nations.

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

Diplomatic Context

Meloni has been credited, mainly from within her party, with building relationships with global statesmen and making Italy as a prominent force on the international platform once again.

The forthcoming sale highlights a unconventional way to deal with the state presents that are collected during a time in office.