Poveglia, an island on the coast of Venic, consists of three small areas, each of them so creepy that tourists have been banned from visiting. One area of the island is full of ruined buildings, another once was previously used as a military fort, and the third one has been covered in plants, which makes its visibility a difficult thing.
Besides the dangerous condition of the areas that the island consists of, there is another spine chilling reason behind the island getting its spooky reputation. Back in the 18th century this island was used as a quarantine spot during the plague outbreak.
As reported by The Sun, “People were dragged kicking and screaming to the island if they showed even the slightest symptoms of the Black Death, according to local tales. The 18-acre plot was also used as a mass burial ground, where some 160,000 victims are thought to have been burned to stop the spread of the disease.”
Even today, it is believed that 50% of the island’s soil is made of the ash that came from the cremation of the humans there. While tourists are not allowed to visit Poveglia, expectations are sometimes made for people doing research or associated with shooting.
In one such instance, British urban explorers, Matt Nadin and Andy Thompson visited the island and recorded the areas that have been left untouched for many years. They made this expedition back in 2020 and the findings were posted on their YouTube channel Finders Beepers History Seekers.
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Talking about the experience, Matt said, “It was really, really eerie. You could tell even the taxi driver was scared, not just of the police but of the place itself, he couldn’t get away quick enough. The island is so full of dark, dark history, a hell of a lot of people died there and you really get a sense of the horrors that took place there while you’re walking around.”
He further added that a huge number of bodies were burnt on the island and then just left. The place has also not been cleared properly in years and so everything is there just as it was. The human remains have gradually decayed along with the building and other parts of the island.
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Matt then added something even more shocking, saying, “Later on, when it was turned into an asylum, and because people were shoved there out of the way of prying eyes, they started to do experiments on them, horrible, horrible stuff.” He also mentioned, “Whilst we were there, we heard the bell toll and that was quite spooky, that did actually freak me out a little bit. It was like an omen or something.”
Matt’s words clearly bring out the creepy vibe of the place and how it has been left to ruins. Despite being in such a condition, Matt said that the archways and tiles proved that the buildings there were beautiful, which have now turned to ruins because of the lack of maintenance.
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Moreover, Matt further added, “You could see that hardly anyone had set foot there for years because there is no graffiti or anything it’s all just natural decay.” With all its history of tragedy and death, Poveglia remains a fascinating, though scary site to explore.
