Poveglia Island

Poveglia is a small island in the Venetian Lagoon, between Venice and the Lido. It covers about seven hectares. For most of its modern history, it has served as a place to put things Venice did not want to keep on the mainland.

The Plague Years

In 1776, the Venetian Republic designated Poveglia as a quarantine station. Ships arriving from plague-infected ports were required to stop at the island. Passengers and crew were held in isolation. Those who developed symptoms were separated from the healthy. Those who died were burned.

The system operated through the Napoleonic Wars. The death toll across the quarantine period is estimated at over 100,000, though exact records are incomplete. National Geographic has cited this figure. The bodies were burned in open pits. The ash mixed with the soil. A commonly repeated claim holds that human remains compose roughly fifty percent of the island’s topsoil.

The Asylum

In the early twentieth century, the island’s buildings were converted into a psychiatric hospital. Local legend, difficult to verify, says the head doctor performed experiments on patients and eventually threw himself from the bell tower. The hospital operated until 1968, when it was closed.

The Island Today

Poveglia has been abandoned since 1968. The buildings are in advanced decay. The bell tower still stands. The Italian government has attempted to sell or lease the island several times. In 2014, a businessman named Luigi Brugnaro won an auction to lease it for 99 years, with plans to convert it into a public park. Progress has been slow.

Visiting

Poveglia is not officially open to the public. Private water taxis from Venice or the Lido can reach the island. Some tour operators offer boat tours that circle the island without landing. Landing without authorization is technically illegal. The buildings are structurally unsafe.