The little island was first mentioned
in print in the early fifth century as a
safe haven from invasions by Alaric
the Goth and Attila the Hun during the
decline of the Roman Empire. We were
also fortunate enough to visit Attila the
Huns throne on Trocello Island - which is
worth a visit. Poveglia had probably been
populated long before then, as historical
records indicate that a group of proto-
Italians, the Euganei, first inhabited the
Veneto region as early as 2,000 BCE.
Around 864 CE, the governor, or doge,
was killed, and two hundred of his slaves
fled to the island and presumably led
quiet lives. During the Chioggia War
with Genoa that began in 1379, officials
forced the residents of Poveglia Island to
move to a different island in the Venetian
Lagoon. They built the octagonal fort and
turned Poveglia into a military outpost
armed with naval artillery to strictly
control the lagoon.
For two centuries the island stayed
unpopulated. The government intended
to have monks from central Italy inhabit
the island in the 1500s, however there
aren’t many records surrounding this
time period. Eventually the government
finally found a use for the land, Poveglia
Island became a colony and dumping
ground for victims of the Bubonic Plague
in 1576 and 1630.
Doctors wearing Medico Della Peste
masks made numerous trips each day
back and forth to the island. Those
distinctive scary white masks with
the long hook beaks were used as
a misguided form of protection by
physicians in the 17th century to deal
with plague victims. The masks are
intrinsically linked to this area as the
plague’s toll was so huge on the local
populace it spelled the downfall of the
Republic of Venice.In 1793 two ships entering the area were
found to have been carrying plague
sufferers, the island again became
a confinement station. Other plague
sufferers were forced to the island to
die, shipped over in some instances with
the bodies of tens of thousands who had
already succumb to the inevitable and
were now to be burnt and buried on the
island in pits. Its grounds are said to hide
the remains of more than 100,000 bodies,
overgrown blackberry bushes now hiding
mounds that were once humans.In 1922 the 18-acre site became an
asylum for the mentally ill and it was
during this period experiments including
lobotomies were said to have been
performed by the deranged doctor. The
hospital was shut in 1968 and the island
was abandoned and has been sealed off
to the public by government authorities
to this day.With a past like this, it’s not surprising
that Poveglia is believed to be haunted,
attracting the attention of paranormalinvestigator worldwide. Visitors to
Poveglia have been forbidden for
decades, of course, that doesn’t stop
the occasional thrill seeker from trying
to get permission to explore the island.
However, all who venture there return
shaken. One thing all visitors report
experiencing is the sensation of being
watched, other reports include being
scratched and pushed by invisible
forces and some even claim to have
been possessed (Or was that just for
TV). Having visited this gloomy island on
more than one occasion, I can definitely
say it is one of the more fascinating
locations I have ever investigated
however I truly feel like the nearby
lagoon islands of Lazzaretto Vecchio
(Where the first plague hospital was
built), Trocello and San Servolo (Lunatic
Asylum) are commonly overlooked. To
be honest, I felt more activity, a stronger
presence of something otherworldly and
a far creepier feeling during our tour of
San Servolo Lunatic Asylum Museum
(Definitely worth a visit!) So, in my
personal opinion, I would much rather
investigate the island of San Servolo, you
can catch the Vaporetto (Water Bus) there
and spend the entire day on the island...
legally! You would probably document
way more activity than you would trying
to work your way through the dense
forestry on Poveglia Island.MJ Dickson