The history of Poveglia, an island in the Venetian Lagoon, can be traced back to the invasion of the Lombards in the sixth century AD. Fleeing residents, particularly from Este and Padua, took refuge on the island. Poveglia prospered until the War of Chioggia around 1380. Intensified fighting forced the population to retreat to nearby Venice. The island later served as a temporary hospital for contagious diseases and a quarantine station for maritime travelers until World War II. Finally, a geriatric hospital was located on the island. It was closed in 1968.In 2016, the Young Architects Competitions invited architects to submit proposals in a design competition for University Island. The project would redevelop Poveglia Island, transforming it into an outstanding university campus while redefining the university experience.The project takes advantage of the restricted and uniform geography typical of an island. The university emerges as the link between the modern and historic architecture with a path serving to unite the island. The path crisscrosses Poveglia, highlighting the various opportunities and offering continually changing scenery. A red band metaphorically and physically links and identifies the island’s hubs. Nature and history are in harmony; the past meets with the future in a single, indivisible island. The new buildings, spread across 25,000 square meters, are located in the island’s interior and can be discovered by following the pathway.