No.3: Poveglia Island (Italy)
Source : Wikipedia
Poveglia, a small island in the Venetian Lagoon, was once used as a quarantine site for plague victims and later housed a psychiatric hospital. Because of this dark history, it is known as “The World’s Most Haunted Island.”
Legend has it that 50% of the island’s soil consists of human ashes, and countless skeletal remains are buried across the island. Since the 1960s, it has remained uninhabited, and the Italian government has banned access due to safety concerns from the crumbling buildings. Only researchers and select media personnel with special permits may occasionally visit; ordinary people can only view the island from afar by boat. Even local fishermen avoid its shores. Poveglia continues to fuel both fear and curiosity as a truly forbidden place.
No.2: Ise Grand Shrine – Inner Sanctum (Japan)
Source : Wikipedia
Considered the most sacred shrine in Japan, the Inner Sanctum of Ise Grand Shrine (Kōtai Jingū) enshrines the sun goddess Amaterasu. Revered as “the spiritual home of the Japanese people,” the shrine’s main sanctuary is strictly off-limits to the general public, who may only offer prayers from outside the sacred fence.
Access to the Inner Sanctum is granted exclusively to the Emperor’s family and a select few Shinto priests. Even among priests, only the most senior officials may enter. Photography is strictly prohibited, and during the shrine’s once-every-20-years rebuilding known as Shikinen Sengu, the construction is hidden behind tall fences, with details kept secret. As a symbol of Japan’s enduring respect for its myriad deities, this place remains a mystical realm—forever unseen by ordinary eyes.
