Plague, Psychiatric Wards, and Phantoms: The Untold Story of Poveglia

Poveglia Island in Italy is currently off-limits to the public and known as the Island of Ghosts.

British newspaper The Mirror has reported on Poveglia Island in Italy, known as the Island of Ghosts.

Poveglia Island is located in the north of Italy, about 3.1 miles south of the famous tourist destination, Venice.

Its beautiful architecture in the medieval style might easily be mistaken for a tourist site.

However, once you hear the numerous rumors surrounding the island, you’ll understand why it’s known as the prohibited Island of Ghosts.

In the 14th century, the island of Poveglia was used as a quarantine facility for plague patients.

Those showing even slight symptoms of the plague were immediately cremated, resulting in an enormous number of casualties, estimated at around 160,000. It is said that hundreds of bodies were burned daily, to the extent that ashes and smoke could be seen from off the island. There are rumors that up to 50% of the soil is composed of human ashes.

In the 20th century, a mental ward was established on Poveglia Island. True to its notorious reputation as a ghost island, it was not used for conventional purposes. Instead, the island was the site of unconventional treatments like lobotomies, brain dissections, and other forms of experimental procedures. Doctors have performed experimental procedures known as lobotomies on patients. These patients, often died during or after these torturous surgeries, essentially resulting in a massacre. This has been a form of systematic slaughter.

The director who led these operations eventually died from a fall from the hospital building, surrounded by rumors such as “The director committed suicide” or “The vengeful spirits killed him,” leading to endless eerie tales. Due to these events, the hospital closed in 1968, and the island has been neglected for a long period.

Following the closure, rumors about the island increased when a family hoping to purchase it encountered an accident within just one day. Reports of ghosts and accidents led to it becoming a place forbidden for public entry without special permission.

Despite the prohibition on entering the island, it became publicly known what the inside looked like as some mystery and ghost-hunting clubs visited the island without authorization. Photos from the island show decaying buildings abandoned medical equipment, and containers used for burning bodies.