Poveglia Became Venice's Plague Quarantine

Poveglia Island in the Venetian Lagoon served as a quarantine station for incoming ships and cargo from 1793 until after World War II. Venice also used it as one of several islands for isolating plague victims, and some sources estimate that only about 20 people died from plague there. In 1922, authorities converted its buildings into a nursing home and long-term care facility for elderly residents. The facility closed in 1968, leaving the state-owned island and its buildings neglected for decades.

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