The island of Poveglia formerly called Popilia due to the polar trees that were widespread on the island or (less probable from Popilio Lena roman consul.
Poveglia (the northern section of the way Emilia) was like many others a shelter for the populations of the mainland that escaped as a result of the barbaric invasions, but with the come one of Pipino in the 809, people of the island were forced to go itself some.
Poveglia is one of the small islands in Venice that is not open to any public to go see, The history of this island is both intreging and frightfull,
It was once used to place the dead bodies of the fl plague and those who were suffering from it, A plague doctor would look for people suffering from the plague and take them to this island to die, basicly they were dumped there.
Later it was converted by the Republic into a hospital for the plague stricken : this in the thirteenth century, and was probably the first public hospital of the sort established in Europe, and probably gave the name of Nazaretto, which became Lazzaretto, to all similar institutions.
Poveglia stands forth as very valorous in the defeat of the Frankish attempt on Venice under Pepin in 809.
Nothing, however, remains that is ancient on the island of Poveglia, for during the war of Chioggia, when Genoa so nearly caught Venice napping, everything was destroyed by order of the Republic and the inhabitants were transported to the contrada di S. Agnese in Venice.
“That of Poveglia is the history of long decadence after a period of splendour “, explains to me architect Maurizio Varratta, conceiver of the project for the Cts.
So that Poveglia becomes “a place of the world and not simply an isle in the Lagoon, echo of the main events and at the same time relay satellite in the world of what happens at Venice, and that thanks to the technology and also and mainly with the contribution of the Cts's
Massimo Cacciari says that “the isles in the lagoon are not only the aesthetic crowning of the old town centre but also its value -added in terms of environment and historical, architectonic and naturalistic heritage and it would be a crime let it decay till irrecoverableness “.
In 421 Poveglia was designated as a safe haven for people fleeing from the barbaric invaders.
Since then it has had a varied and sometimes strange fate, as when the families of two hundred followers of Doge Pietro Tradonico (864) transferred there after he was slain in a conspiracy by the nobles, and they were at loggerheads with the new doge.
Coming under the jurisdiction of the Magistrate for Sanitation in the final years of the Republic (1777), Poveglia became a port storage area, quarantine station for suspected ships, and finally a lazaretto.
PS Just found the Poveglia website: It looks like there's some kind of project to develop the place as a tourist resort (nowhere can be left alone nowadays
The thing is, Anthrax can survive as spores, and is infectious all by itself; it only needs to be inhaled, or skin-contacted, or ingested (which is what the sheep do when they eat the grass).
Of course, if there were flea-infested bats or foxes or badgers or field mice on Poveglia, then the disease could have survived to kill again.
Was originally a self-governing island hundreds of years ago before being taken over by Italy.
When the fl plague swept over the country, Poveglia was where the dead bodies and even those who were still alive were dumped.
They were put into “plague pits” where hundreds or even thousands of bodies and still-living victims of the disease were thrown in and either buried, burned or just left in the open to rot.
Guardian Unlimited Travel | Cities | Hidden depths(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-12)
We are sailing south, passing little-known islands: San Clemente, La Grazia and the fan-shaped Poveglia.
We drop anchor just off Poveglia and the three-strong crew serve lunch.
Out of the tiny galley kitchen emerge plates of squid marinated in balsamic vinegar and arranged with architectural precision among red berries and grapes.
On the topic of Poveglia, which is in the venetian lagoon, I've read about it and it seems like it would be a pretty cool place to explore.
Any nurse who smokes, uses liquor in any form, gets her hair done at a beauty salon, or frequents dance halls will give the Director of Nurses good reason to suspect her worth, intentions and integrity.
I stayed in Lido, which is evidently close to Poveglia in the Venetian lagoon.
Malamocco and Pellestrina Tourist Information and Travel Guide at InfoHub.com(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-12)
The vaporetto to San Lazzaro passes along a section of the Canal Orfano.
The most ferocious defenders of the lagoon in the war against Pepin came from the small island of Poveglia, just off Malamocco.
Once populous enough to have a practically independent administration, it suffered greatly in the war against Genoa and went into a steep decline immediately after, becoming little more than a fort.
A chart of Lido showing a little known but good "Free" anchorage next to Isola Poveglia, which is mostly used by locals and not published in any cruising guide.
From this anchorage you can easily dinghy to the Lido Yacht Club.
Off air, alan Robson has worked in many organizations to raise money for various causes.
He has even done insane stunts to raise money, like the time he was going to bury himself alive, or the time he slept in a crematorium on the haunted island of Poveglia, one of the Scariest Places on Earth.
He has also held at least 3 records in his lifetime.
