The stake sale is part of government plans to raise roughly 20 billion euros ($21.67 billion) through asset sales between 2024 and 2026 to keep in check the euro zone's second-largest debt pile as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP).

The industry ministry, in a written response to a parliamentary question, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, said both the Treasury and state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) plan to cut their stakes in Poste Italiane without going below 51%.

The economy ministry has a 29.3% stake in Poste which is worth almost 4 billion euros at current market prices, while CDP owns an additional 35%.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has repeatedly said Rome would cut its stakes in state-owned companies without compromising public control.

Factoring in proceeds from asset sales, Italy's debt is seen edging down by just 0.6 percentage point between 2023 and 2026, when it is targeted at 139.6% of GDP.

($1 = 0.9228 euros)

(Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte, editing by Giulia Segreti and Susan Fenton)