The beautiful abandoned island just 11 miles from Venice with a sinister past | World | News by StuffsEarth

Just 11 miles away from Venice sits a beautiful abandoned island which conceals a dark past. Poveglia Island, which is located in a stunning lagoon, began as a haven for 421 people who escaped invaders ravaging mainland Italy in AD 421.

For centuries the group lived in peace but its population naturally dwindled before becoming a quarantine colony during the bubonic plague.

Being sent to the island was considered a death sentence with thousands meeting their end there in poor conditions.

Then years later in the 1800s, the island was reopened as a mental asylum.

In modern times, the island has been considered cursed with both locals and tourists banned from visiting and even fishermen steering clear of the area.

Due to its history, the island has been said be one of the most haunted places on earth.

One local story is that a doctor allegedly experimented on patients with crude lobotomies and jumped from the bell tower in the 1930s after claiming he had been driven mad by ghosts.

People passing by still claim to hear the bell even though it was removed years ago.

Despite visitors being banned, a number of paranormal TV programmes, photographers and writers have been allowed in.

Surviving buildings on the island consist of a cavana, a church, a hospital, an asylum, a bell tower, housing and administrative buildings for staff.