#plagueislands — Public Fediverse posts

Lazzaretto Vecchio — Venetia Descritta (1581)

Lazzaretto Vecchio was the primary plague hospital in Venice, established in 1423 on an island south of Venice, close to the Lido.

The Lazzaretto Vecchio had an essential role during the plague epidemic of 1575–77, but was also horribly overloaded, as Francesco Sansovino notes in his description of the place.

While his daughter Aurora died of the plague in 1576, he himself had not direct experience of the island, as he had with the Lazzaretto Nuovo.

#histodons #Plague #PlagueIslands #Venezia #Venice

Read more here: https://historywalksvenice.com/translation/lazzaretto-vecchio-venetia-descritta-1581/

The lagoon in winter

Maybe a boat tour in the Venetian lagoon is not what most people would think of first, if they're in Venice around Christmas, but yesterday was a particularly beautiful winter day. It wasn't too cold, the air was clear, and the sun was shining.

We started early, at 8am because the days are short. The first stop was the island of Poveglia some 10km south of Venice.

The island has acquired a reputation for being haunted, thanks to some American TV station. Their purely invented story started from the discovery of a stone on the island, marking the burial place of sailors and workers, who died of the plague in 1793.

A plaque, with the same text, has appeared on the island since my last visit.

#BoatTours #PlagueIslands #Venezia #Venice

Read more here: https://historywalksvenice.com/2024/12/the-lagoon-in-winter/

Bad air will get you sick

Bad air was believed to be a major cause of sickness in the past, based on Aristotle’s idea of miasma as the cause of disease.

#TheLazzarettiOfVenice #Miasma #Plague #PlagueIslands #Venezia #Venice

https://historywalksvenice.com/substack/bad-air-will-get-you-sick/