Poveglia — Italy's forbidden island of plague and madness near Venice

Poveglia is a small island in the Venetian Lagoon that has been called the most haunted island in the world. Its dark history begins in the 14th century when it was used as a quarantine station for plague victims. Ships arriving in Venice were forced to anchor at Poveglia, and the sick were left on the island to die. Over the centuries, an estimated 160,000 plague victims were burned or buried on Poveglia, and the island's soil is said to be 50% human ash. In 1922, a psychiatric hospital was built on the island, where a doctor reportedly conducted cruel experiments on patients, including crude lobotomies. The doctor himself went mad — or was driven mad by the ghosts of plague victims — and jumped (or was thrown) from the bell tower. The hospital closed in 1968, and the island has been abandoned since. Fishermen avoid the waters around Poveglia, saying their nets pull up human bones. The Italian government has banned public access to the island, but those who have visited illegally report hearing screams, seeing figures in the mist, and feeling hands pushing them toward the water. The island's decaying buildings, overgrown vegetation, and the mist that rises from the lagoon create an atmosphere of genuine dread that few haunted locations can match.