Italian PM Meloni auctions Gifts from Foreign Leaders
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has decided to auction off gifts received from foreign leaders during official visits abroad.
Among the gifts that will be sold is the scarf that Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama gave her for her 48th birthday. The law prohibits the president from keeping gifts worth over 300 euros for herself, so they will be on sale to the public.
The total value of the gifts is estimated at around 800.000 euros, according to media reports. The various objects will be auctionned by Bertolami Fine Art auction house in Rome. The full list of gifts to be auctioned has not yet been published, but it are over 270 items stored in a room at Palazzo Chigi, reports la Repubblica.
The first gift dates back to the G20 in Bali in 2022, a traditional Kerala women's dress, a gift from Indian President Narendra Modi. Among the other gifts is a fabric statuette from MP Michele Emiliano. The auction also includes two metal bracelets, four paintings, a metal plate, a pendant, a ring and earrings.
Main Image: Among the gifts that will be sold is the scarf that Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama gave her for her 48th birthday.