Venice's Quarantine Island

The small island of Lazzaretto Vecchio (formerly known as Santa Maria di Nazareth), in the south part of the Venetian lagoon, was a quarantine colony for those with bubonic plague during the 15th-16th centuries. Workers digging the foundation for a new museum first came across the skeletons about three years ago.

According to National Geographic News, archaeologists working at the site for the past three years have uncovered a mass burial with at least 1500 skeletons. Skeletons in the oldest graves are wrapped in sheets while the most recent appear to have been unloaded from a cart into a mass grave. See National Geographic's Plague Graves Photo Gallery for pictures of the island and skeletons.

While you may not want to visit Lazzaretto Vecchio, Venice has several popular islands worth visiting, including Murano Island famous for its glass factories, the colorful island of Burano famous for lace making, and the cemetery island of San Michele.

Venice Islands Travel Information:

• Murano Island Picture Gallery from about.com's Cruises guide
• Visiting Burano Island from Europe for Visitors
• Venice Travel Directory