The Blairs, a freebie in Tuscany...and a very tacky mugshot

So how did Tony Blair show his appreciation? With tacky mugs emblazoned with his grinning face on a family photo, superimposed over a chintzy image of the Millennium Dome.

Scroll down for more

The Prime Minister handed out the gaudy souvenirs to staff at the Italian villa where he and his family stayed in 1999, on a controversial two-week break that earned him the Italian nickname "Lo Scroccone", or "the scrounger".

The Blairs were guests of the Tuscan government at the Villa Gombo, near Pisa, and Tony and Cherie were so inspired by their beautiful surroundings, that they apparently conceived their son Leo during the fortnight.

But controversy raged after it was reported that the Tuscan government had spent £500,000 refurbishing the 22-room villa ahead of the Blairs' visit, compared with the £3,000 he donated to a local charity in lieu of rent.

Three miles of public beach were also closed by the authorities to ensure the Blairs' privacy, although it was reopened after protests from tourists.

Despite the outcry, the Blairs returned the following year for another free holiday - this time with baby Leo in tow.

Now, for the first time, staff at the villa have revealed photographs of the Blairs during this second stay - and of the tawdry mug they were given for looking after their VIP guests.

One picture shows a 45-year-old Mr Blair, looking much more relaxed and youthful than he does now, posing with three-month-old Leo and waitress Cecilia Terzi.

In another the PM poses with Cherie, then 44, looking remarkably slim in a white sundress and with her hair cut into a boyish crop.

The villa's staff remember both visits vividly.

Chef Susanna Scarpellini said visitors would bring Tony and Cherie gifts, including jewellery, statues of the Tower of Pisa and silver trays.

She said: "When they came back the following year, after Leo was born, we all clubbed together to get him a little chain. Tony and Cherie really liked it.

"We were all laughing and joking because it was obvious that Leo had been conceived at Villa Gombo when they came to stay the first time.

"They said to me that I had put too much chilli pepper in their food and that Leo had been born as a result."

Mrs Scarpellini added that Cherie openly breast-fed Leo: "No one batted an eyelid as it was the most natural thing in the world."

Ms Terzi, now 30, also has strong memories of Mr Blair: "I remember the first time I saw him he walked into the kitchen, bare-chested and in his boxer shorts.

"I was only 22 at the time and I was quite overcome. He was very attractive and you could tell he liked to take care of himself."

However, she added, Cherie did not always look her best in the mornings.

She said: "When they left they gave all the staff presents from Downing Street - we got pens, paperweights and mugs with their photograph on. I use mine to keep pens in."