Poveglia Island

  

  In cities, it's not super uncommon to hear noise. Actually, scratch that- it would be more uncommon if you didn't hear noise. Or see weird stuff. But that really applies anywhere, if you think about it. Even rural places. Noise is just a part of life.

    And a call sign for the dead. 

    I mean, logistically, think about it. You go to one of those field of screams, or house of horrors, or public bathroom of peril around Halloween. Yeah, the minimum wage zombie is going to stare at you for two minutes, but then they'll follow you and start saying something. Or someone with no self control will rattle a chain. Or a dad will crop dust everyone in the painfully narrow hallway and very nearly authenticate that fake haunted house. 

     You get used to it, really. 

    But you know, sometimes, the spooky stuff is outside. Sometimes it's stuff you blame on the wind, or birds, or people actively breaking the speed limit on the road. Many other times though, you really can't explain it. Because if you try to, it will make no sense.

    Take the Poveglia Island, for example. 

    Already off to a great start, I know. But there's an absurd amount of haunted islands around the world. Take Isla de las Munecas, for example- an island that houses hundreds of dolls. Or Bermuda (not of the triangle variety). There's the Rose Hall Great House of Jamaica, or Santa Catalina. Or my Animal Crossing island, because let's face it- that place is a ghost town anyways.

    And you know, Poveglia. Which is, supposedly, the most haunted island in the world. It's also incredibly off limits, but that hasn't stopped some YouTubers from being #Quirky and #ActivelyBreakingTheLaw. 

    Because that's gone so well for YouTubers in the past. 

    But, you know, the island is also known as the 'Island of Ghosts.' So, that's a pretty telling sign. Even fisherman will refuse to go near the island, citing the bad energy and vibes they get. 

    The history of Poveglia is pretty morbid- it began supposedly, in the year 421, when people fled the mainland from barbaric invaders. Because the island was so small, invaders didn't really see a point in trying to attack. So the people of the island lived in peace, avoiding the laws and taxes of the mainland. 

    However, there weren't a ton of people living there, and by the 14th century, it was abandoned again. But only temporarily. 

    In 1348, the Bubonic Plague made itself known in Venice. If you don't know what that is, please take a history class. It was also called the Black Plague. It also brutally killed 1/3 of Europe's population. 

    Regardless of where anyone lived, the Plague was pretty much immediately a death sentence. For the people of Venice, though, it got exponentially worse. Poveglia was converted into a quarantine island, and Venice exiled more than 160,000 people there. Nearly all of them died, and pretty much everyone that ever stepped foot on the island was burned to death at a giant pyre. An estimated 500 people died per day, there, to the point that a big part of the soil composition is made up of ash from the corpses.  Fortunately, the plague died down after a bit.

    …And then proceeded to return in 1630, where the whole process was repeated. 

    Once the plague died down (again), Napoleon's military campaign used just beginning ghost legends and the fact literally every invader was too lazy to attack in order to protect their stores of ammunition and weapons. Unfortunately for him, enemies weren't quite as 'lazy' as their ancestors, and this didn’t really stop them.

    And it only gets better from there!

    

    In the early 20th century, they decided to Extreme Home Makeover the island, converting it into a mental institution known as the Poveglia Asylum. Almost immediately, people knew this place was somewhat suspicious. 

    I'll be blunt- have you seen Shutter Island? It's kind of like that. 

    Essentially, the whole place was poorly and hastily constructed, and more primarily used to 'forget the problem,' rather than rehabilitate the people. If you know anything about 20th century mental rehabilitation facilities, than you'll know they weren't always great. The conditions were cruel, and the staff could be even worse. In fact, some of the doctors in the Poveglia facility were considerable lunatics- conducting horrific experiments on the patients. He apparently wanted to "try and find a cure for insanity," using tools such as hand drills. Many of these experiments were fatal and irreversible, such as lobotomies without anesthesia, or spontaneous brain surgery. Many other patients were rumored to have been taken to a bell tower for a "special kind of torture." 

    At some point, the doctor mainly responsible went off the deep end. As the legends go, he threw himself from that bell tower, or was supposedly pushed. As you would have it, he did survive the fall, but was supposedly swallowed up by an eerie mist, which finished the job. Now, not only do the ghosts of the victims of the island haunt the land, but they're accompanied by the 'good doctor,' himself. Still, the patients were haunted for years after by their ghostly roommates, kept up all night by screams and all kinds of ghostly activity. 

    Some decades after it opened, the hospital was shut down again. For a few years, it was a geriatric facility, but then it shut down a few years later. For many years after, the island was abandoned. In 2014, Venice tried to auction off the island again, but it turns out people don't exactly want to buy an incredibly haunted and messed up island. 

    A show called Ghost Adventures went to visit the island with the intention of recording an episode- they spent 24 hours in total on the island, where they were exposed to curses, apparitions, music, weird energy, and more. Things like bangs, footsteps, voices, and orbs were all caught on video, but people still didn't take it all much seriously. Regardless, due to rumors of hauntings, people are no longer allowed to approach the island without special permission from the private owners. 

    Years ago, someone asked on a forum if people had ever been to the island, and what they saw, if yes. There were varying responses. One person said they saw "a whole army of ghosts," and that they would whisper, scream, and scratch at the walls in desperation. 

    

        Supposedly now, Venice wants to renovate and 'fancy up' the island, but that remains to be seen. Many argue that it's historical and sad, and should be left alone. But on the other hand, people have been sneaking onto the island for years, to the point that there were raves in the 90s that left the walls coated with graffiti. At the end of the day, though, it remains one of the most haunted places in the world.

    

Cited Sources

11 Of The Most Haunted Places In The World That Are Not For The Faint Of Heart

Poveglia Island's Haunted History

Poveglia

Poveglia: The Haunted Island in the Venetian Lagoon

The haunting of Italy's Poveglia Island

Inside Poveglia Island’s History Of Death And Madness

Why Poveglia is Italy’s most haunted island

Poveglia Island: Like Hell, But in Italy

Is Poveglia island haunted?

Have you ever been to Poveglia, Italy? If so, what did you see?

Urban Explorers Sneak Onto 'World's Most Haunted Island'

Walking around Poveglia Island

The “Ghost Adventures” Crew Spend A Terrifying Night Inside Venice’s Poveglia Island Insane Asylum