Certosa

The island known as La Certosa, which houses the northernmost entrance to the lagoon, located between San Pietro di Castello, Lido di Venezia and the Vignole island, was first made famous in 1199 and then in 1424 for the settlement of a community of Carthusians and Augustinians. The main activity in addition to the monastery was represented by the presence of some farmers who worked the fields of the island, the economy was mainly that of the vegetable garden, vineyards and pastoralism. Later the plague broke out and the population of this island was also decimated. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, following the edicts of Napoleon, the island forcibly ceased its convent use, was stripped of its works of art and was converted for military use.

It was then abandoned and in 1997 the restoration and rehabilitation interventions began by the Magistrato alle Acque – Consorzio Venezia Nuova and the Municipality of Venice thanks to the funding received from the European Union, the Special Law for Venice and the ordinary budget of the Municipality of Venice. This island offers a significant environmental heritage, especially with regard to vegetation. It is characterized by the presence of groves of white, black and ash poplars, interspersed with non-native tree species (black locust, hackberry and mulberry, fruit plants).