Federica Pellegrini put numerous pieces of memorabilia up for auction ©Getty Images

Italian swimmer Federica Pellegrini has raised €66,000 (£58,000/$72,000) for a hospital in Bergamo treating COVID-19 patients through her live auction.

Items that were up for sale included four signed photographic panels and numerous pieces of swimwear.

Her 2019 World Championships warm-up kit went for €5,100 (£4,500/$5,600), with a swimsuit that she wore at that competition fetching a fifth of the warm-up kit price.

Pellegrini won gold in the 200 metres freestyle race at the 2019 World Championships.

Her goggles from the Beijing 2008 Olympics went for €4,550 (£3,975/$4,945).

Also among the top sellers was a Rossorame bomber jacket from when she was a judge on Italia's Got Talent, with two of her swimming caps also going for more than €1,000 (£875/$1,090).

Pellegrini had announced the auction on March 30, aiming to benefit one of Italy's hardest-hit areas.

There have been more than 24,000 COVID-19 deaths in Italy. 

Other swimmers have made similar gestures, with Britain's Adam Peaty raffling off a gold-medal-winning swimsuit to contribute £12,800 ($16,000/€14,700) towards British efforts to combat coronavirus.