Lazzaretto Nuovo is one of the plague islands in Venice
This thing, which I learned through experience to my very great sorrow with the death of Aurora, my eleven-year-old daughter, and the suffering of Benedetta Misocca, my wife, during the time of the plague, in the year 1576.
Francesco Sansovino (1581)
For over three centuries, the Lazzaretto Nuovo island was a quarantine station for people suspected of carrying the bubonic plague. When the plague struck, the island served as a hospital. Thousands who didn’t survive are buried in the cemetery on the island.
The island of Lazzaretto Nuovo had an important role in protecting Venice from the black plague. The Venetian health authorities checked all merchant ships and travellers on arrival in the city. If they perceived any risk of infectious deceases, everybody and everything was placed in quarantine on the Lazzaretto Nuovo.
Over the centuries, thousands of workers passed through the island. Tens of thousands of sailors, travellers and others spent their quarantine period there. During the outbreaks of bubonic plague in the city, thousands perished on the island, isolated from the rest of the city.
Many of these people left something behind. Some, for example, a broken plate or cup. A few made a sign, a drawing or a writing on the walls. Others never left, their bones still resting in the graveyard.
The Tezon Grande, the main building from the 1560s and one of the largest ancient buildings in Venice, is now a museum.
Unique writings and drawings cover the walls, left by workers on the island in the late 1500s and early 1600s.
Displays also include finds from the campo santo (graveyard) where the victims of the plague were buried and everyday items from antiquity until the 1800s.
Furthermore, the Lazzaretto Nuovo offers a unique opportunity to see the lagoon marshlands up close.
Reviews
The Best de la Peste
An outstanding visit to the island and highly recommended, René (along with his canine assistant, Giubba) was a wonderful host and went above and beyond to make our tour as informative, engaging and enjoyable as one could ask. A must if visiting the city, we will certainly be back!
Tour of Lazzaretto Nuovo
We joined a tour of Lazzaretto Nuovo that Rene led on Saturday 31st May. After enjoying a quiet walk around the nature trail, watching the birds and seeing some of the vegetation of the lagoon close-up, we were fascinated by René’s historical tour of the built and found remains on the island. We greatly appreciated both the vast amount of knowledge that René shared and his interpretation, which helped to make the information very accessible and interesting. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and would recommend both Lazzaretto Nuovo and René’s tours to others.
Private tour to Lazareto
Rene was a great tour guide. He’s tremendously knowledgeable about history. He’s also flexible and responds well to what the guest is most interested in.
Simply brilliant
Rene is fascinating, entertaining and very deeply knowledgeable. We have done two hours with him (the Lazzaretto Nuovo and around the Rialto market area) and strongly recommend.
Visit the Lazzaretto Nuovo
I can offer private and bespoke visits to the Lazzaretto Nuovo.
If you prefer, I can meet you at your hotel or elsewhere in Venice, and take you there.
Availability depends on what other activities there are on the island, but email me with your request, and I’ll come back to you.
A normal visit requires two hours on the island, for the naturalistic walk and the guided visit to the museum.
Prices and options
A private visit to Lazzaretto Nuovo is €150 for up to 15 persons. For larger groups, the price is €15/person. In this case, you need to get to the island on your own, by taxi or public transport.
Alternatively, I can meet you at your hotel, and we’ll go there together by public transport or taxi. In that case, the price is €200 (or €20/person for groups of more than 15 persons). Transportation is not included in the price.