Poveglia, Italy

For a place often described as romantic, it’s quite surprising that Italy also has a couple of interesting stories that don’t lean toward the romantic side of things.

While Venice takes credit for being the country’s go-to place for tourists, Poveglia is the exact opposite. A small island in the South Lagoon located between Lido and Venice, Poveglia was once filled with families. As the years went on, though, their population declined until no one lived there anymore. It was again filled with people not long after, but instead of a thriving town, Poveglia was used as a quarantine zone during the 14th century. While it has since become off-limits, recent endeavors were made in renovating at least one of its buildings. That effort, however, was left unfinished. The reason remains unknown, but many believe the cause to be something otherworldly – paranormal if you will.