From gold shoes to chainsaw statuettes: Italian head of state Giorgia Meloni wants to monetize hundreds of gifts from her three years in office.
December 23, 2025, 04:55December 23, 2025, 04:55
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has decided to auction around 270 state gifts – many of which come from other heads of government and are said to be worth a total of around 800,000 euros. The government announced on Monday that the auction will be held to benefit charities.
Giorgia Meloni wants to get rid of her state gifts.Image: keystone
The Roman auction house Bertolami Fine Art was actually supposed to hold the auction. The company had already won the contract and was to receive five percent of the proceeds for its services – a maximum of 40,000 euros. But shortly before the planned start of the auction, the Prime Minister’s office stopped the cooperation. The reason for this is ongoing criminal investigations against Bertolami for suspected illegal art dealing. Who will now take over the auction is just as unclear as a new schedule.
Gift bazaar in Palazzo Chigi
According to Italian law, Meloni is not allowed to keep gifts worth more than 300 euros. That is why many of the gifts have so far been kept in a special room in the government headquarters, Palazzo Chigi. Particularly valuable items are stored in a safe, while bulky items are stored in government buildings.
The tradition of giving each other gifts during state visits goes back a long way. The objects are often symbolically or culturally charged, but sometimes they are also downright luxurious. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presented the Italian head of government with a pack of rice – a simple but symbolic gift. The diamond, gold and citrine quartz necklace that Meloni received from Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in January 2023 was significantly more expensive.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán gave Meloni a fine tea set made of fine porcelain and six bottles of his favorite white wine. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also generous and brought Meloni both a traditional carpet and clothing from his homeland – including a typical robe from the Indian state of Kerala.
Some gifts caused a particular stir – such as a pair of blue python leather shoes with gold heels by the Saudi designer Norah Alhumaid. The miniature statue of Argentine President Javier Milei was also particularly unusual, depicting him with a chainsaw – a symbol of his time in office.
Meloni with the Milei statue in question.Image: x
Meloni received a silk scarf on January 15, 2025 – her birthday – from Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who knelt before her as it was handed over during an energy summit in Abu Dhabi. Rama maintains a close relationship with Meloni and publicly called her his “sister.”
Another gift with symbolic value came from Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelenskyj presented Meloni with an iPad – a gesture that could be understood as an invitation to continuous exchange.
The list of gifts ranges from statecraft to jewelry to personal curiosities – including camel statuettes from Libya, a skateboard from the Italian town of Montesilvano and a doll from Puglia. As the newspaper “Il Foglio” smugly commented, Meloni’s gift room is less reminiscent of a treasure room à la Scrooge McDuck and more of a bazaar at Rome’s Porta Portese flea market.
The trigger was a request from parliament
It is unclear why Meloni is planning the auction now of all times. A possible trigger could be a parliamentary question from MP Francesco Bonifazi from the center-left Italia Viva party. About a month ago, Bonifazi called for all gifts over 300 euros that the Prime Minister had received in the past three years to be examined.
In response, the government sent a complete list to the control committee of the Chamber of Deputies. According to media reports, Meloni is even checking whether gifts from her predecessors in office could also be auctioned off.
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