Sacca Sessola, also called Isola delle Rose or "Island of Roses", is an island in the Venetian Lagoon,

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The island's name is derived from combination of the words ''sacca,'' Venetian for an artificial island, and ''sessola,'' a tool used to remove water from ships. Sacca Sessola is one of the biggest islands in the lagoon, with an area of 16.03 ha (40 acres), and also one of the youngest. It was built from 1860 to 1870, and has since been used a fuel dump, hospital, farming land, and UNESCO research complex. The entire island now houses the JW Marriott Venice Resort and Spa

History

The island was built in the southern part of the Venetian Lagoon from 1860 to 1870 using debris generated by commercial port construction at Santa Marta in Venice. Initially state-owned, the island was sold to the municipality of Venice in 1875 and converted into a fuel depot. Later, it was converted to agricultural use. In 1892, construction for a quarantine hospital on the island was begun. Following the cholera epidemic of 1911, the hospital was expanded and made Venice's premier facility for the treatment of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, replacing the hospital at Santa Maria della Grazia. It was closed during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and re-opened and expanded during the 1920s. In 1929, the municipality donated the island to the National Institute for Social Security, which expanded and repurposed the hospital as a pulmonological facility. The new 300-bed complex was inaugurated by King Victor Emanuel III in 1936. The pulmonary hospital remained operational until 1979, when it was abandoned. Ownership reverted to the Venetian municipality in 1982, which in turn donated it to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

International Center for Marine Sciences and Technology ten years later. In 2000, the island was sold to a multinational company and converted into a luxury hotel complex, which failed to open. In 2015, the island was sold to JW Marriott, which renovated the island into its present form as a resort and spa and renamed it "Isola delle Rose".

References

{{Authority control Islands of the Venetian Lagoon Artificial islands of Italy