Apparently, Italy Has a Haunted Abandoned Island off the Coast of Venice

You may be familiar with the names of some of America's most haunted destinations — like Amityville, New York — thanks to the popular stories told about the hauntings. And while some areas chill us to our bones thanks to the great unknown of what happened in the region — like the lost colony of Roanoke, Virginia — some stories are made all the scarier because of what do know.

Take for example the story of the haunted island of Poveglia.

The island, which is visible from the coast of Venice, has a long and grim history that has made it the perfect subject for spreading ghost stories. However, some of the facts about the region may actually be stranger than the fiction being weaved about Poveglia. That's because the island has been used for everything from a quarantine area for those who were dying of the plague, to the home of a massive psychiatric hospital with rumors of abuse.

Intrigued? Keep reading to learn more.

According to the Walks of Italy blog, there are plenty of stories going around about the now-abandoned island of Poveglia. Some rumors claim that half the island is made from the ashes of humans who died during the plague.

The stories claim that nearly 100,000 people perished on the island, and since officials didn't know what to do with the bodies, they burned them all in massive fires.

Another story about the island includes the all-too-familiar tale of a wayward doctor who lost his mind while working at the psychiatric hospital. During his reign of terror, the doctor was accused of experimenting on patients and performing lobotomies.

While the island remains closed to the general public today, you can still access it by requesting permission from the local government. Of course, you'll need to charter your own boat to get there, since there's no public transportation.

While those two standout stories do make it seem like the island, which actually consists of three small islands, could be the home to some angry spirits, there's a lot more to the region.

Wikipedia says that the island was used as a quarantine station starting in 1776, and it used to be the first stop for ships and their cargo as they looked to access Venice.

Then, in the late 1800s, the island was converted into a geriatric hospital.

The hospital closed in 1968, which seemed to spell the start of the decline for Poveglia, which quickly fell into a state of disrepair, and it was eventually closed due to the dangerous conditions.

However, that may not be the end of things for fans of Poveglia, since a portion of the island seems set to get a new life as a some sort of park. Wikipedia says that the northern part of the island was granted to an organization in 2025, and is planned to be the future home of a community park.