Poveglia was built on a permanent fortification built by the Venitian government, and was used as a place of quarantine for plague victims from the three major waves of the Black Death. A successful lazaretto, the island is said to have over 160,000 infected souls live out their final days and hours there -- so many that there are whispers that 50% of the soil consists of human remains. Recently, mass graves have been found on Poveglia containing the remains of thousands of plague victims.

Finding the location to be small and easily missed, Napoleon also used the island for a darker purpose, and stored weapons there. The location was discovered, and many small battles took place as the island claimed even more lives.

In 1922, a mental hospital was opened on Poveglia. Legend says that one doctor at the hospital tortured and killed many of his patients, butchering them horribly only to later die by falling from (or possibly being thrown off of) the bell tower. The ruins of the hospital are still there, and while it is professed to be a former retirement home, evidence that it housed mental patients is still evident.

With a past like this, it's not surprising that Poveglia is believed to be haunted, attracting the attention of ghost hunters and paranormal investigators.

Poveglia is strictly off-limits to visitors.