Poveglia

Poveglia is a tiny island located between Venice and Lido. It has a very dark history and is considered to be a hot spot for ghosts. It dates back to the time of the Romans and was used as a dumping spot for thousands of plague victims. During the three ocassions that the black death spread through Europe, the island was basically used as a plague pit and was considered to be an efficient way to keep the infected separated from the healthy. The chilling aspect of this story is that many Italian citizens were brought here and left to die. It is believed that over 160, 000 people died here throughout its unpleasant history.

In 1922, a psychiatric hospital was built on the island. The most well known story goes that many of the patients claimed to see the tormented spirits of the plague victims soon after their arrival. The doctor there then decided to make a name for himself "investigating" this phenomena by conducting crude lobotomies and medical experiments. The doctor supposedly began seeing the ghosts himself years after he began his experiments. The story goes that they lured him to the hospital steeple and pushed him to his death. After this, the hospital was abandoned and remains so to this day. Today, it is completely off limits to tourists and the public.