Poveglia is probably the scariest island in Italy Photo: stock.adobe.com/ImagoDens
From our editorial team
Only a few kilometres from Venice lies an island that does not fit into the romantic image of the lagoon: Poveglia. Abandoned, derelict, cursed?
What today looks like an overgrown Lost Placewas once a place of death, suffering - and fear. It is officially forbidden to enter - the island is under state control. Anyone travelling there anyway does so illegally or with one of the few special permits. The coastguard patrols regularly.
A place with a heavy heritage
Photo: stock.adobe.com/ James/Wirestock
Poveglia lies between the Lido di Venezia and the entrance to the harbour of Malamocco. The island is only around 7.5 hectares in size - and yet it has more history than many a Venetian palace. It was already inhabited in the Middle Ages, but repeatedly fell victim to disasters and political turmoil. For centuries it has had a reputation for disaster - and this began with the plague.
When the great plague struck Europe in the 16th century, Poveglia became a quarantine centre. The Venetian Republic had recognised how dangerous trade with the Orient could be - and had potentially infected people isolated on islands like Poveglia. Thousands died here, often in mass camps, without medical help, far from their families. They were buried on site, bodies were burned - or simply left lying around. Even today, according to local fishermen, the muddy ground sometimes unearths human bones.
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More InformationThe Lazzaretto of the outcasts
In the 18th century, the island was officially declared a "Lazzaretto nuovo", a kind of health centre for people suffering from epidemics. Anyone coming from suspicious areas - such as the Middle East, North Africa or southern France - was accommodated here. Some of the buildings that were erected at the time are still standing today: the main building of the quarantine centre, the bell tower of the former San Vitale church and some farm buildings.
A memorial stone was erected in 1793 - with the Latin inscription: "Ne fodias - vita functi contagio requiescunt""Don't dig - here rest those who have died of infection". More warning than consolation.
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A chapter from the madhouse
As if that wasn't gloomy enough, Poveglia once again became the scene of human tragedies in the 20th century. From 1922 to 1968, the city of Venice ran a psychiatric institution here. What exactly happened behind the walls is not documented - but local stories tell of abuse, experiments and lobotomies. Legend has it that one doctor lost his own mind and threw himself off the tower. Is that true? Nobody knows. But the image is memorable.
Since the closure of the hospital in 1968, the island has fallen into disrepair. The buildings are empty, windows are broken, trees are growing through roof trusses. Entry is officially forbidden - not only because of the risk of collapse, but also because of its reputation: the "Isola dei Morti", as some call it, is still considered cursed to this day. Paranormal TV crews have visited it and YouTubers have secretly filmed it. But the morbid fascination remains vague.
A failed sale
In 2014, the Italian state tried to lease the island at auction - for 99 years. Minimum bid: 10,000 euros. It was an experiment, an attempt to valorise a problematic place. But when entrepreneur Luigi Brugnaro (later mayor of Venice) offered 513,000 euros, the state turned him down - too low, too little potential. At the same time, the initiative Poveglia per tutti ("Poveglia for all") with the aim of preserving the island and making it accessible to the public. To date, nothing has come of it.
What remains?
Poveglia remains a place of horror - and speculation. Historians see it as a memorial against oblivion, tourists as a lost place with goosebumps guaranteed. For the Venetians themselves, however, the island is one thing above all: a blind spot in the lagoon. Too close to ignore. Too dark to wish it back.
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