'World's most haunted island' where thousands of plague victims were left to die and mental patients were lobotomised goes up for sale - and could become a luxury hotel

Italian government has put Poveglia in the Venice lagoon up for auction

The island’s macabre reputation stems from its plague pits

When a plague hit Italy thousands of dead bodies were dumped there



Mental hospital was built there by a doctor who tortured his patients



Doctor threw himself off hospital tower after he was 'driven mad by ghosts'

Paranormal investigators claimed to have found high levels of activity



It is so haunted that for years no tourist has been allowed to set foot on it.

But now, one of world’s scariest places, the island of Poveglia, in the Venice lagoon, could be yours.

The Italian government is offering it at auction, in a bid to chip away at the country’s mounting public debt.

The island’s macabre reputation stems from its plague pits.



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The island of Poveglia, in the Venice lagoon, is being sold by the Italian government

When an outbreak of Bubonic plague hit Italy thousands of dead bodies and the still-living victims were dumped on the island to be buried, burnt or left to rot.

Centuries later, a mental hospital was built there by a doctor who tortured his patients with unnecessary lobotomies.



Driven mad by the ghosts of his victims, he eventually threw himself from the hospital tower, it is claimed.



The island is uninhabited, with no visitors allowed, although the ruins of the hospital, a church and the crematorium still stand.

But paranormal investigators have claimed to have found high levels of activity there.



The most famous is plague victim Little Maria, who was separated from her parents during the outbreak and reportedly stands crying looking out across the lagoon towards Malamocco, her home town.

When a plague hit Italy thousands of dead bodies and the still-living victims were dumped on the island

One TV presenter working for Ghost Adventures insisted he was possessed by a spirit while visiting the island.

An estimated 100,000 Venetians died on the island as the 16th century authorities desperately tried to bring an end to the plague outbreak.



Anyone with symptoms was rounded up and sent to the island where they were shoved dead or alive into burial pits or bonfires. The soil is said to be a mixture of human ash and bone.

Centuries later, a mental hospital was built there by a doctor who tortured his patients

Venetians are deeply superstitious about the island and see it as purgatory for evil souls. One local saying goes: 'when an evil man dies, he wakes up in Poveglia.'

The Italian government now hope that the island’s unique potential can be exploited by a luxury hotel-they are offering a 99 year lease to redevelop the property.

A further four properties including a 15h century castle and a spectacular monastery will be auctioned off freehold.

The government aims to raise Euro500 million from the sale of around 150 state owned properties.

