Talk Spooky With Me

Poveglia Island: Italy’s Plague Ghosts & the Most Haunted Island in the World

• Kimberly Nikole • Season 1 • Episode 8

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Welcome to Talk Spooky With Me! In this spine-chilling episode, we travel to Italy’s infamous Poveglia Island—a place so haunted locals refuse to set foot there. Once a quarantine zone for plague victims and later a psychiatric hospital, Poveglia is rumored to be cursed by thousands of restless souls. Discover the dark history of this isolated island, from the Black Death to eerie modern encounters, and hear terrifying tales of the ghosts who never left.

🔮 In This Episode:

  • The horrifying history of Poveglia’s plague pits
  • Disturbing rumors of experiments at the island’s asylum
  • Chilling eyewitness accounts of hauntings and disembodied screams
  • Why paranormal investigators call it “the world’s most haunted island”

🕯️ Talk Spooky With Me Podcast – Where the shadows speak, and the dead refuse to stay silent.

👻 Subscribe, rate, and share… if you dare. Your support keeps the darkness alive.

📨 Have a true tale of terror? Email talkspookywithme@gmail.com – your nightmare could become our next episode.

🔮 Follow @TalkSpookyWithMePodcast on Instagram for exclusive hauntings, spectral sightings, and forbidden knowledge.

💀 Beware: Once you listen, the spirits may start listening to you…



Speaker 1:

The sea was calm, the sky a perfect glassy blue. Three men set out before sunrise, fishing rods in hand, laughter in their voices, superstition tucked somewhere deep beneath bravado. Superstition tucked somewhere deep beneath bravado. They never came back. Their boat was found two days later drifting near the edge of a forbidden lagoon in Venice, the engine still intact, supplies untouched, no blood, no distress call. All that remained was their ship's logbook, the detailed entries of the weather, their locations and any important events worth remembering. It was found open they must have been interrupted suddenly and the name of the place they were last seen near Scribbled.

Speaker 2:

On the final page it read Poveglia this is Talk Spooky With Me, where host Kimberly Nicole shares the weird, the haunted and the stories that'll leave you sleeping with the lights on.

Speaker 1:

Welcome my spooky friends and future ghosts. You're listening to Talk Spooky with me and I'm your host, kimberly Nicole. We've had a little bit of a hiatus and for that I apologize. It was unintended, but I had some technical difficulties. So hopefully we're past that now and everything is smooth sailing and new episodes continue to drop weekly so that you can all get your spooky fix.

Speaker 1:

I want to take a moment and thank everybody who has been supporting me and encouraging me and just enjoying Talk Spooky with me. This has been an absolute wonderful experience and I really hope that you enjoy it. Each episode is produced by me, hosted by me and written by me, so if you have any feedback, please feel free send me an email. I want this show to be something that you all love. So, anywho, how are we all doing? There's a lot going on in the world, so I just wanted to check in with everyone. Make sure we're all doing okay and we're all surviving the heat and the humidity. Remember to stay hydrated. The world is a crazy place right now. I don't want to get into politics on this podcast. I want to stick to just spookiness. I am not even going into that, but I just hope everyone is doing, not even going into that, but I just hope everyone is doing well and hugs to you all. If you need a hug, I guess, right, we are joined today by my cat Malachi. He's a Maine Coon, 25 pounds. He's a big guy. So if you hear any crashes or weird noises in the background, it is not the resident ghost in my house, it is my cat Malachi just saying hi.

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So, without further ado, let's get back into the story. Let's get back into the story. Tonight we're sailing to one of the most terrifying places in Europe, one that is full of plague stories and asylum tales. Many European countries can claim home to these type of tales. I'm here to take you past that, to the hauntings of one entire island that came after the plague, after the asylum tales. I had no idea that this place even existed. The level of hauntings that were documented with this island it is absolutely insane. I hope you enjoy learning about Poveglia Island and the ghosts that never left. Let's talk for a minute. To investigate the paranormal effectively, it is essential to understand a location's past, because its present always takes shape by its history. Let's rewind a few centuries.

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Poveglia is a small island located in the Venetian lagoon, tucked between the main city of Venice and the barrier island of Lido. It's just south of the entrance to the Malamaco canal. From a boat it doesn't look like much it's just ruins and overgrowth but it's been hiding in plain sight for centuries, carrying some of the darkest chapters in Italy's history. Poveglia first appears in Venetian records around 421 AD. A humble refuge, it was made up of people fleeing barbarian invasions.

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By the 14th century, venice had a plague problem, a bubonic Black Death plague problem, as did most of Europe and Asia. Outbreaks swept through the city in waves and the city choked on fear thick enough to taste or suffocate. In response, the government converted islands in the Venetian lagoon into quarantine zones, lazarettos as they were called. Poveglia became one of the most notorious. It was not just a place for isolation but for mass disposal. Let that sink in.

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Historical estimates suggest that over 100,000 plague victims men, women and children were brought to Poveglia to count down their final breaths. Unseen and unheard, their bodies were burned in large, open pits. Many were buried in mass graves. Many were buried in mass graves. Some were reportedly tossed into the trenches while they were still alive. Today, archaeologists and researchers find charred remains and artifacts buried in layers of soil and ash. In 2007, excavations conducted by Italian archaeologists unearthed large quantities of human remains and ceramic plague jars near former burial pits, further supporting the scale of the island's use during outbreaks.

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Historians such as Dr Luisa Ambrosini of the Venetian Historical Society have described Poveglia as one of the most concentrated sites of human suffering in European history. One researcher reportedly fainted while examining burial trenches, citing an overwhelming sensation of pressure and nausea. Exciting and overwhelming sensation of pressure and nausea. Whether emotional or environmental, the impact of standing on so much death is undeniable. Could you do it? Imagine what that feels like, standing there, your feet pressed against the ground where those plague victims walked, where those people are buried? That history and that pain and suffering under your feet? Just imagine the power that is expelled from that, that must radiate from that location. According to a translated excerpt from the 2007 excavation report, one archaeologist wrote it is difficult to explain the atmosphere without sounding superstitious. It felt as if the island was holding its breath while we dug. Another team member, who wished to remain anonymous, described vivid nightmares and sudden panic attacks following the excavation. Though no scientific explanation has been confirmed, the psychological toll on researchers has been noted in multiple interviews and field notes.

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In multiple interviews and field notes, it seems that even for highly educated and trained professionals, poveglia's past still weighs heavily on their present. Poveglia became a necropolis in all but name, an entire island reserved for the sick, the dying and the already dead. Estimates vary, but many believe tens of thousands of bodies were burned or buried in its soil. Venetians living nearby in fishing villages and the lagoon area swear human ash makes up the very ground of the island. While no one resides on the island itself, generations of locals in the surrounding waters have passed down chilling accounts and warnings. They've watched from the safety of their boats and shores, refusing to cross a line they claim the dead still patrol. One elderly fisherman from malamaco once said the mist never moves right over Pavilion. It floats like it's stuck to something, like the souls under it are pulling it down. Another woman, a seafood vendor in Cuyoja, tells customers never to eat fish caught near the island, claiming they feed on the bones of the angry and if you eat them, their sorrow becomes yours. A fisherman once claimed his anchor pulled up a jawbone with a gold tooth still intact. I don't eat seafood but after researching that and finding that, I definitely am not going to start anytime soon. And, yes, I have to be one of the only Norwegians who does not like seafood. What do you do with an island that is essentially a mass grave?

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In the 1920s, italy transformed the decaying buildings on Poveglia into a psychiatric hospital. Because why not? What could go wrong? Why not? What could go wrong? Staff complained about shadows moving where no light touched. Patients screamed at the corners of their rooms. Doors slammed without warning. One nurse recalled hearing voices whispering from the drains.

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And then there was the doctor in the bell tower. His name is unknown. His personnel file disappeared after the hospital closed. Some say it was lost in the bureaucracy, others whisper it was intentionally erased, along with anything that might explain what happened there. In all honesty, there are some that say the file never existed because the doctor never did. But I'm only here to tell you what is said by those close to the island and what has been passed down from that time. He's remembered in fragments nurses recalling a tall man with a cold stare, patients murmuring about the whispering scalpel. There are no photos, no official death certificate, only rumors. Local legend claims he performed experimental lobotomies Only rumors. Local legend claims he performed experimental lobotomies with crude instruments. Some patients were never seen again. Others returned Different. Whether you believe the whispers or not, the truth is chilling.

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During that era, asylums across the world were sites of sanctioned horror. Doctors performed lobotomies and other so-called treatments that left thousands of patients either forever altered or never seen again. Some vanished into locked wards, others emerged hollowed out, their minds silenced Like extinguished candles. The story goes on that one night the doctor climbed to the top of the bell tower. Whether he jumped or was pushed remains a mystery. Why he was even up there, no one knows. A nurse claimed she saw a dark figure behind him. When they found his body, some say he was still alive Until something dragged him back into the shadows. Every night, at 3.15 am to be exact, they say, the tower rings with a single hollow scream. As you may have guessed, the asylum closed. As you may have guessed, the asylum closed. The entire island of Poveglia was sealed off, entry forbidden. But the silence didn't last. It never does.

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In the 1950s, rumors began of a fisherman vanishing near the island. One boat's final radio contact placed them off Poveglia's southern shore. The boat was recovered. The crew was not Nearby locals told stories and whispers. If the island calls you by name, don't answer.

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In the 1970s there were unconfirmed reports of a diver hired to survey the waters near Covalia. Though never officially identified, lagoon divers still talk about him. They say he surfaced in a panic, screaming regulators still in his mouth, his chest marked with deep scratches, his eyes vacant. According to other nearby local accounts, he never dove again. Some say he left Venice altogether. What would a man have to experience in those waters to never return again, to never dive again? Whether true or a cautionary tale, not one single diver lingers near Poveglia today. That, right there, tells you everything you need to know.

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In the 1980s, a time of big hair, parachute pants, reaganomics, fingerless gloves and cocaine, it was a good time, a simpler time. In the 1980s, a group of urban explorers reportedly snuck onto the island. Of the five who entered, of urban explorers reportedly snuck onto the island, of the five who entered, only two returned. One had hours of memory missing. The other refused to speak, repeating only. There were people there watching us.

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Water is a conductor of electricity, yes, but did you know? It is also a conductor of memory, trauma, energy, energy. This belief is common in both folklore and modern paranormal theory. It's why so many haunted sites, castles, asylums, battlefields are located near rivers, lakes or the sea. Some researchers believe water amplifies residual hauntings, the kind that replay traumatic moments like a broken record. You know that endless loop. Others say water holds energy, like a battery, that it absorbs emotion, especially fear and death, and releases it under certain conditions, like changes in tide, temperature or pressure. In many traditions, water is seen as a veil, a barrier between the living and the dead. Stories across cultures describe spirits traveling by water or being trapped in it, unable to cross. And the waters around Poveglia feel wrong.

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Paranormal investigators have recorded unexplained EMF spikes. Let's talk EMF readers quickly, for those who do not know. For those who do, skip ahead 30 seconds or so. An EMF reader, also known as an electromagnetic field reader, is a handheld device used to detect and measure electromagnetic fields in an area. These fields are generated by electrical currents from devices, wiring or even natural sources. Most EMF readers track low-frequency energy and display real-time readings either on a digital screen or through LED lights that glow brighter as EMF levels increase. In paranormal investigation, emf readers are commonly used to identify unexplained spikes in electromagnetic energy. Some investigators believe that spirits may disrupt or manipulate EMF fields when they manifest or attempt to communicate During an investigation. They watch for sudden EMF surges that can't be traced to obvious sources like electronics or electrical wiring. Modern paranormal investigators have recorded unexplained EMF spikes on the island of Poveglia.

Speaker 1:

Tourists report vertigo, nausea, even nosebleeds when sailing by the island Because, remember, no one's allowed on the island right now. One Venetian sailor described the island as looking misaligned, as if it weren't fixed in place. The bell tower, stripped long ago during structural stabilization efforts in the mid-20th century, remains standing, the bell itself removed and destroyed, and yet at sunset fishermen still say they hear it ring. While the island has officially been off-limits for decades, occasional maintenance or emergency structural work was permitted under tight restrictions to secure hazardous ruins. These efforts, carried out by the government contracted crews, were brief, limited and often surrounded by bureaucratic secrecy. One account referenced in local media and paranormal forums mentions a construction team leaving the island abruptly in the 1960s. No official reports confirm what they encountered, but the secrecy surrounding those missions continues to feed local suspicion.

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Paranormal researchers suggest these sudden departures may have stemmed from overwhelming dread, disorientation or unexplainable activity on site. Several modern investigators who gained special access to the island have shared disturbing accounts. Among them, the British team Haunted Earth Paranormal conducted a nighttime investigation in the early 2010s. Their equipment failed repeatedly and their footage was mysteriously corrupted when reviewed In a blog post. One member described hearing dragging footsteps around the bell tower, even though infrared cameras showed no movement. The Italian bass group Ghost Hunters Roma also reported overwhelming dread and audio anomalies and audio anomalies disembodied voices speaking Venetian dialects, despite no one being present on the island. One ghost hunter from a UK-based team reported hearing footsteps behind him in the former hospital corridors, even though he was the only one in the building. Equipment reportedly malfunctioned without cause and several investigators cut their exploration short, citing an oppressive sense of being watched. Another team member described being overcome with intense sadness and confusion near the mass graves, saying it felt like something was pressing against my chest, like the ground itself was grieving.

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Developers have tried to reclaim Poveglia. In 2014, the Italian government offered it for lease again. The highest bidder was a businessman. However, the government later annulled the sale, stating the bid did not meet all the required conditions. This businessman would later become the mayor of Venice. He subsequently renounced any intentions to develop the island. No formal redevelopment has ever followed.

Speaker 1:

Boats malfunction near the island, drones lose signal, phones flicker. Even nature seems to retreat. Vegetation near the asylum's ruins withers, the ground, resists even weeds. It's like the island remembers what it was built for and what it became was built for and what it became. This account comes from a listener whose grandfather was a fisherman in Venice. In 1962, his brother disappeared while casting nets near Poveglia. He wouldn't speak the island's name, she wrote. He'd only say it's not haunted, it's hungry. He never sailed near it again and every year, on the anniversary of his brother's vanishing, birds stop appearing in their yard for just that day and then the next day return. She swears. The sky itself goes quiet. What's really happening on Poveglia? Is it a residual, haunting Centuries of pain on repeat? Is it something intelligent, territorial? Or is the island something else entirely, a spiritual wound still open, a place where grief has roots?

Speaker 1:

Some paranormal theorists believe that places like Poveglia develop a kind of consciousness, not sentient in the way that we understand, but aware in a primal, reactive way. They refer to this as a psychic scar in the landscape. Just as our bodies carry scar tissue after trauma, certain places, especially those saturated in suffering, are believed to retain spiritual and emotional residue. These scars might not just replay the past, they may react to the present. When people step onto Poveglia, they aren't just walking through runes, they're walking across layers of unresolved energy, the screams, the sorrow, the silence, all of it still echoing just beneath the surface. For those sensitive to it, the island feels heavy. The air presses differently. The silence isn't empty, though it's crowded.

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This theory also explains why some people experience panic attacks, disorientation or overwhelming sadness without any visible cause. Paranormal researchers describe this as empathic bleed, when a location's psychic residue overwhelms the natural emotional state of those entering it. The natural emotional state of those entering it. A psychic scar in the landscape, pulsing with the energy of everything lost, everything buried, everything betrayed. Others suggest the land itself is cursed, not by a spell but by neglect, by the sheer magnitude of unacknowledged suffering. And when so many deaths go ungrieved, unmarked, unresolved, that energy has to go somewhere. Some say it waits.

Speaker 1:

There are even darker theories that something was on Pavilion long before the plague ships arrived, that the suffering and the violence only fed it, strengthened it. That the doctor in the tower wasn't haunted. He was possessed or chosen. And of course there's the scientific angle cause hallucinations, mold triggers disorientation, echoes bounce strangely through collapsed structures. But even those explanations don't fully account for the terror in the eyes of those who come back, or it doesn't explain those who don't come back at all. Maybe we're not meant to know, but I'll leave you with this. When something is left to rot long enough, sometimes it grows teeth.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for tuning in to Talk Spooky with me. If you like tonight's tale, please rate and review. It helps more than you know, so tell me what is your theory on what's really happening on Poveglia. I need to know. What do you think. Tag me at TalkSpooky With Me podcast on Instagram and tell me everything, or send me an email at Talk Spooky With Me at gmailcom. I hope you enjoyed. I hope you enjoyed the paranormal facts and theories that I added into this episode. This episode was written and produced by me, kimberly Nicole. Until next time, stay curious, stay cautious and, whatever you do, don't answer if the island calls you by name.

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