After the hospital closed, the island lay abandoned for nearly fifty years.
Fishermen avoided it for fear of netting human bones.
Now a new project hopes to transform this long forgotten and feared island into a dream university campus.
Photo credit: Young Architects
Poveglia Island first entered into history books in 421.
These people escaped to the island and made it their home.
For the next several centuries, Poveglia had a peaceful history.
The people extracted salt, fished and grew food.
The people of Poveglia were hastily removed to a safer place.
The Poveglia octagon is one of four that still survive on the island.
An estimated 160,000 people lived and died here.
The rumor is that nearly half of the soil contains human remains.
Poveglia had a healthy, living population at that time.
For the last few years, the island has been subject to various reclamation projects.
None have been implemented yet.
Now theYoung Architectsassociation has launched a competition inviting architects to submit ideas for a university campus on the island.
