Man stabbed and robbed at Rome's central station.

Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri will reportedly meet with the capital's prefect Bruno Frattasi on Thursday to discuss security at the city's central train station Termini following the latest episode of violence there.

A 46-year-old man from Milan was hospitalised in a serious condition on Sunday night after being stabbed and robbed outside the train station on Via Giolitti.

The victim of the robbery, named as Arturo Battisti, allegedly reacted by punching the thief whose accomplices intervened, stabbing him in the chest three times, according to Corriere della Sera newspaper.

The thieves ran off with the man's phone and €20, reports state broadcaster Rai News.

Three men, described by Italian media as young north Africans who frequent the station area, were subsequently arrested and are being held in Rome's Regina Coeli prison on charges of attempted murder and aggravated robbery.

Interior minister Matteo Piantedosi said the "immediate identification of the alleged perpetrators of the stabbing on Via Giolitti in Rome demonstrates the effectiveness of the police services that we are carrying out in Italy's main stations and surrounding areas."

Sunday night's stabbing has reignited a debate about security around Termini and comes about a month after a 24-year-old Israeli tourist was stabbed and seriously injured as she bought a train ticket inside the station.

The attack prompted authorities to increase police checks and raise the number of officers on the beat in the area around Termini in recent weeks.

Cover image: Termini station, Rome. Photo credit: DedMityay / Shutterstock.com.