A woman claims she was rescued from being gang-raped by 25 men in Florence after an immigrant flower seller drove them away.

Gaia Guarnotta, 25, was walking alone at 11.30pm in the city, in Italy's northern Tuscany region, when she was approached by the group near Piazza della Repubblica.

She said the men were drunk, called her a 'whore', spat at her and then tried to take her away to an unknown location.

Gaia Guarnotta (left), 25, says she was rescued by Bangladeshi flower Hossein Alamgir (right), 58, after she was almost gang-raped by 25 drunk Italian men in Florence

Ms Guarnotta, a photographer originally from Livorno, said the Italian men at first tried to convince her to have sex with all of them.

She tried to run away but they called her a 'slut' and a 'whore', Ms Guarnotta claims.

On her Facebook page, she wrote: 'I was walking alone on the street at 23.30. I like to walk, I love Florence and I love the night.

'Then the nightmare begins. They start to say phrases like, "Come on with us, let's have fun, 25 against one, you will have a good night".

'(They said), "Let's have a gang bang, you will enjoy it, so many all together, you have never seen this many. You are the one who is refusing us and our kind offer.'''

She alleged they dragged her by the arm and even took off her glasses.

Rose seller Hossein Alamgir noticed the commotion and came to her aid, chasing the men away.

Ms Guarnotta, a photographer originally from Livorno, was walking alone at 11.30pm in the city in northern Tuscany (above) when she was approached by the group near Piazza della Repubblica

Mr Alamgir, 58, originally from Bangladesh, has lived in Italy since 2005, according to Direttanews.

After rescuing Ms Guarnotta, he took her to a safe place and fed her.

He also provided her with towels so that she could wash, and gave her a rose as a present.

Ms Guarnotta said: 'Thank you to this world for there are people like Hossein, who help without wanting anything in return. This is a face I will never forget.'

She added that she wanted to share her story to show that there is still a need for feminism in the world.

It is not known whether Ms Guarnotta has contacted the police.