Poveglia, the island in the Venice Lagoon that belongs to everyone again: from 1 August it will be granted on concession to a citizens' association
After years of mobilisation, fundraising, waiting and hope, the island of Poveglia, in the Venice Lagoon, will finally open its doors to the public once more. Starting from 1 August 2025, the association Poveglia per tutti will officially take on a six-year concession of the northern part of the island, with the aim of transforming it into an accessible public lagoon park, tended and managed according to principles of subsidiarity and active participation.
The announcement came in early July from the Agenzia del Demanio, which formalised the handover of the area to the association, rewarding a journey begun eleven years ago and supported by nearly five thousand people. "A tangible symbol of the participatory defence of collective assets", as its promoters describe it, which today takes shape as a project of environmental and social regeneration, founded on self-management and shared accountability.
The area, long abandoned and initially earmarked for privatisation, will be enhanced in keeping with the landscape and biodiversity of the lagoon. The creation of the urban park will be accompanied by a research and experimentation project in collaboration with the Department of Human Sciences at the University of Verona, already a partner of the association through a dedicated doctoral scholarship studying the impact of the Poveglia model as a replicable example of commons management. "This concession is a historic milestone," the association declares, "one that finally allows us to put into practice what we have dreamed of, written and built collectively over these years: opening Poveglia to everyone, as a space for encounter, care, biodiversity and direct democracy." The initial phase of the project will be funded with approximately 300,000 euros raised through public subscriptions and donations, set aside in a dedicated fund. The concession deed will now also allow access to public and private funding to consolidate the long-term vision.
The island of Poveglia is part of the Agenzia del Demanio's broader plan for the recovery of around 400 public properties awaiting development: through the Crea Valore – Investi con noi scheme, the State aims to involve private partners too in innovative regeneration projects. But in the case of Poveglia, it was active citizenship that made the difference: a collective, transparent model of management, born from the grassroots and turned into reality. "Poveglia is not just a place," the local citizens' association celebrates, "but the symbol of a new idea of public asset management, an alternative to abandonment and disposal. A victory that belongs to each and every one of us."
