A small island off the coast of Venice has a terrifying and dark history, so much so that tourists are banned from travelling to the abandoned island where rotting buildings lie empty
Just off the coast of Venice sits a small island with a terrifying history. Despite being so close to one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world, tourists are completely banned from travelling to Poveglia, which is made up of three small land masses, and is known as the ‘Island of Ghosts’ – just to make things a little bit creepier.
One of the three islands has been totally taken back over by nature, another was formerly used as a defensive fort, and the main island is where a eerie and disintegrating abandoned prison and hospital can be found.
Poveglia’s derelict buildings are the main reason why holidaymakers are totally banned from visiting, because their dangerous state of disrepair makes them a health hazard – but the rumours that the place is haunted would likely be enough to put most people off.
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The island was used as a forced quarantine space during the Bubonic Plague, which saw anyone displaying even possible symptoms of the plague that swept across Europe and claimed millions of lives imprisoned there – with many never leaving again.