A British tourist has told an Italian court how she was allegedly raped by a barman in Naples after stopping for a pizza.
The 22-year-old told the court how she was holidaying in the southern Italian city when she suffered 'the worst experience of her life'.
She said she was visiting historic centre of Naples, where she had stopped to relax, sample the food and enjoy a few drinks, Italian daily Il Mattino reported.
She met a bartender, 30, who she said spoke good English, and the pair began chatting.
But the bartender forced her into a separate room at the premises and forced himself upon her, she alleges.
The victim said she had returned to Naples to see her attacker face justice.
"If I came back here to confirm what I said during the complaint - it's to get justice," she told the court through her Neopolitan lawyer, Lucilla Longone.
The accused, a Neapolitan employee of the pizzeria bar, has denied the allegations. His told the court through his lawyers he was not guilty and will defend any charges.
The judge has launched an investigation which includes a DNA test on biological traces found on the victim's clothing.
The legal proceedings now await the results of the tests which are key to the prosecution case.
This case is part of efforts by the Naples Prosecutor's Office, aimed at dealing with gender violence.
Statistics reveal over 5,000 cases of violence against women in Naples annually, according to Il Mattino.
The case comes amid intense scrutiny on gender-based violence in Naples after two young girls - cousins aged 11 and 12 - suffered a gang rape by a group of teenagers at an abandoned sports complex earlier this year.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited the scene of that crime and met with local officials. She agreed a 10 million euro grant to revitalise the complex and the rundown suburban neighbourhood.
