Tourist violently attacked in Rome

The woman was attacked in park near the Colosseum.

An Australian woman on a study trip to Rome was punched in the face and then subjected to a vicious rape in a park near the Colosseum.

The 49-year-old was on a study tour of the Italian capital when the attack occurred in the Colle Oppio park on Sunday night.

She had been drinking in a bar near the Termini train station before the assault took place. She has been unable to give police a description of the attacker because she has no memory of the incident after having her purse and mobile phone stolen and being punched in the face, Italian media reported.

A member of the public found her and took her to a nearby hospital where she is being treated for concussion and injuries to her face.

She was supposed to leave Rome for Paris on Tuesday but will now have to stay in the city.

Police are looking for a 30-year-old Romanian man who was seen leaving the bar together with the victim in CCTV footage, however they suspect a second man may have been involved in the rape, Il Corriere reported.

On Monday, Rome police arrested three people for the rape and beating of another woman, a 48-year-old Brazilian, on September 25.