Poveglia Island (Poveglia) is a small island in the Venetian lagoon, one of the five most terrible places on the planet. Despite the fact that Venice is associated with romance and sophistication, the Italian island of Poveglia, or the Venetian island of the dead, has gained a reputation as a gloomy place.
The Curse of Poveglia Island
The island is first mentioned in chronicles in the 1st century AD. Ancient sources say that the Romans from the large peninsular part of the Apennines inhabited it, fleeing the invasion of the barbarians. Some of the documents claim that even during the Roman Empire, the island was associated with the plague - people infected with the plague were allegedly brought there. In the 16th century, the plague, which claimed more than a third of the lives in Europe, conquered this place completely - at least 160 thousand people were here in a makeshift plague isolation ward.
The life of all of Europe was then under threat, and here there was no one left but corpses. The bonfires on which the bodies of those killed by the plague were burned burned for many months. The fate of those who showed the first signs of the disease was a foregone conclusion - they were sent to the accursed island with no hope of salvation.
Plague Isle Ghosts
When Italy recovered from the epidemic, the authorities came up with the idea of reviving the island's population, but no one went. An attempt to sell the territory, or at least lease it, failed because of the infamous land, literally saturated with human suffering.
By the way, something similar happened on the island of Envaitenet.
Almost 200 years after the beginning of the great plague epidemic, in 1777, Poveglia was made a checkpoint for the inspection of ships. However, cases of plague suddenly returned, so the island was again converted into a temporary plague isolation ward, which lasted for about 50 years.
Island prison for the mentally ill
The revival of the terrible heritage of Poveglia Island begins in 1922, when a psychiatric clinic appears here. The Italian dictators who came to power encouraged experimentation with human bodies and souls, so doctors who worked with local mentally ill people did not even hide that they were doing crazy, cruel experiments on them.
Many patients of the clinic suffered from strange collective hallucinations - they saw people engulfed in flames, listened to their death screams, felt the touch of ghosts. Over time, representatives of the staff also became victims of hallucinations - then they had to believe that this place was inhabited by a monstrous number of dead people who did not find rest.
Soon the head physician died under strange circumstances - either he committed suicide in a fit of insanity, or was killed by patients. For some unknown reason, they decided to bury him here and walled up his body in the wall of the bell tower.
The psychiatric clinic closed in 1968. The island remains uninhabited to this day. Even tourists are not allowed here, although they could organize special tours for those who wish to tickle their nerves.
Sometimes daredevils get to Poveglia Island on their own and bring blood-curdling photos from there. Desolation, homelessness and devastation are what prevails on the island today. But this is not at all frightening: there is absolute silence, in which from time to time a bell rings, which has not existed for 50 years.
In 2014, the Italian government resumed discussions on the island's ownership. They still do not want to buy or rent it. Perhaps a special hotel for tourists wishing to spend the night visiting ghosts will soon appear here, but this issue has not yet been finally resolved.
