The Poveglia Island story. We find ourselves in the Venice lagoon, in close proximity to a once-famous island that has now become entirely deserted. This location has a distinct and sometimes macabre history.
The Poveglia Island Story
Let us take a step back and retrace the Poveglia Island story. In Roman times, this strip of land was known as Popilia, most likely due to the presence of towering poplar trees (popilia, from the Latin populus “poplar”) or the nearby Popilia-Annia route. When the Lombards arrived in the sixth century and destroyed the mainland settlements, individuals fleeing the invaders’ rage sought refuge on Poveglia island. In fact, the island developed into a hamlet complete with a castle.
Poveglia Island story: Middle Ages
In 864, 200 loyal defenders of the slain doge Pietro Tradonico arrived on the island. Poveglia prospered during the Middle Ages. The majority of the residents were successful in their fishing and salt-making enterprises. Around the year 1000, there were approximately 800 houses and the church of San Vitale.
However, the situation shifted dramatically during the War of Chioggia between the Republic of Genoa and the Republic of Venice, which lasted from 1378 to 1381. Poveglia went through a period of difficulty. For safety considerations, the people abandoned the island and traveled to Venice. Genoa seized Poveglia, completely destroying it by the end of the fight. Very few people remained. According to some sources, the famed painter Giorgione was buried on the island of Poveglia after his death in 1510.
Failed attempts
The Republic of Venice tried multiple times to resuscitate the island but with little success. Following the seventeenth century, the island became a storage facility for boats and on-board equipment. However, over time, the desire to reserve Poveglia for health reasons developed.
The lazaretto
In fact, beginning in the late eighteenth century, the island of Poveglia became a lazaretto. This was because the islands of Lazzaretto Vecchio and Lazzaretto Nuovo had run out of room to house all the sick. Throughout the nineteenth century and until the Second World War, Poveglia served as a quarantine facility for plague and cholera victims. A marble plaque on the western coast carries a Latin inscription that can be translated as follows: “Do not dig up (disturb) the dead who were infected in life. They rest here, 1793.”
During the nineteenth century, Poveglia became Italy’s largest naval lazaret. Poveglia quarantined 702 ships between 1831 and 1832. Large mass graves housed the deceased’s bodies. Even now, human bones frequently turn up in the ground, particularly in the island’s northern region. Here starts the most horrific and violent chapter of the Poveglia Island story. In fact, it became a place where individuals sentenced to death were executed. Furthermore, starting in the 1920s, a new structure for one of Italy’s largest mental institutions appeared.
The mental institution in Poveglia
Most likely, Poveglia was never an official mental hospital. In reality, the original design of the new structure was to house elderly convalescents. Debates continue to surround the true nature of this structure. Documentation from Venice’s historical archives indicates that the structure functioned as a nursing institution from 1922 to 1946.
However, some evidence reveals that it was a true psychiatric hospital. For example, the “Psychiatry Department” sign is still hanging among the wreckage. As we will see, the presumed mental institution was likely a site of horrific torture. It ended operations in 1968. Since then, the island of Poveglia has been abandoned, and entry is prohibited.
Poveglia Island: The story of the sadistic doctor
One of the many legends surrounding the Poveglia island story involves a peculiar doctor. He faces accusations of abusing patients and conducting horrific experiments during the operation of the mental department.
Many people link this enigmatic character with the Swiss doctor Sarles, who performed the first lobotomy in 1890. However, history has it that the doctor eventually went insane. Sarles, haunted by the ghosts of patients who died during his scientific investigations, hurled himself from the San Vitale church’s bell tower. However, he did not die immediately. A nurse who witnessed the suicide testified that, when the doctor’s body was lying on the ground, a fog suddenly rose and engulfed him until he suffocated.
The Ghost Island
However, the ghosts of plague victims, who perished in large numbers on the island of Poveglia, appear to have disturbed even nursing home inmates. Today, people regard Poveglia as a ghost island and one of the world’s scariest places.
For decades, this location has had a terrible reputation and a strange past. Because of its reputation as a ‘cursed’ island, some witnesses claim that human skeletons cover around half of Poveglia’s area. As a result, the island of Poveglia is one of the most popular ghost hunting destinations. But how can I go to the island of Poveglia?
Poveglia Island Tours
The island of Poveglia is uninhabited and abandoned. It is inaccessible, with no ferry stops on the island. As a result, the only option to visit is to charter a private boat or schedule for private guided trips. In any case, to avoid fines and infractions, it is best to request authorization from the Municipality of Venice at least ten months in advance, stating the reason for the visit.
The ruins of the island
There are 18 totally deserted buildings on the island of Poveglia. Three adjacent islets make up the island. The “Ottagono di Poveglia” is an octagonal-shaped islet with fortifications that served as a defensive outpost to the south. In the center, there are abandoned buildings and a vast green space. A bridge connects the last island, to the north, to the preceding one. This section was used for agriculture. The extant structures are the historic hospital pavilions, constructed between 1900 and 1945.
The center building in front of the Octagon, for example, served as the hospital’s main structure. The ruins and wild plants conceal the main entrance, which leads to a hall and the former hospital management. The upper floors are accessible by a stairway in the back.
Devotion to Saint Vitale
Despite the desolation of Poveglia, the San Vitale faith survives. Over the years, the church has added religious art and Carrara marble statues. Among the statues, we find one of Christ, which arrived on the island of Poveglia in unknown circumstances. The Church of Santa Maria in Malamocco presently houses all the original statues.
Only the bell tower of the medieval church of San Vitale remains. Over the years, it transformed into a lighthouse and watchtower. The tower still houses the 1745 clock, despite its stoppage.
Here, you can find tourist guides for various sights in Venice:
The 10 most beautiful museums in Venice
Venice Tour: the Jewish Ghetto and Cannaregio
Poveglia island story gallery
Island of Poveglia video
Poveglia map
Venezia weather
Meteo Venezia
Tourist Information and Reception Venice
The offices for information, ticketing (public transport, museums, churches, theaters, shows, and concerts), tours, maps, and guides, and merchandising can be found at:
- Venice, Piazza San Marco 71/f
- The shop located near the Venezia Unica Agency in Venice, Piazzale Roma, can be reached by phone at +39 041 2722283.
- Venice, Santa Lucia FS Station, Cannaregio 54 C-D opposite Actv A-B landing stage
- Marco Polo International Airport (arrivals area)
- Mestre, via Lazzari 32 (near Piazzale Cialdini)
- Dolo, Via Matteotti (15H)
For any tourist requests on places and events in the city, interested parties can write an email to info@veneziaunica.it or contact the call center at 041.041.
