An island all to itself, in the heart of the Venice Lagoon. Not a villa facing the water, but a small piece of land entirely surrounded by canals, with private docks, gardens and even an ancient military fort. It is Crevan Island, today offered on the real estate market by Lionard Luxury Real Estate.
The property is located in the Northern Lagoon, in a position that looks toward Burano and Torcello. In total it spans about 5,700 square meters of land, largely occupied by greenery. At the center stands a 215-square-meter building born as a defensive outpost at the beginning of the 19th century and later transformed into a dwelling.
The private island for sale in Venice
The island is closely linked to the Napoleonic domination; the first constructions date back to 1806 for purely military and defensive reasons. The fort served precisely to defend the accesses to the Venice lagoon; the structure did not disappear and during the subsequent Austrian rule it was even enlarged and reinforced until 1866 when Veneto joined the Kingdom of Italy.
For several decades the island’s vocation remained military. Only after World War I did its strategic role gradually lose importance. The transition to private ownership opened a completely new phase: the old defensive presidio began to be considered not as a structure to be garrisoned, but as a space to live in.
Since the 1990s the transformation has become tangible; in 1996 several restoration works were begun that preserved original architectural elements. Currently the fort has four main rooms to which are added two bathrooms; electricity, heating, air conditioning and running water are all present.
What makes the place special is not only the fort but the lagoon-facing garden that extends across a large part of the property. Lawns, ornamental plants, fruit trees and tall trees render the green space incredibly valuable. Access occurs at two private points and the boat is the main means of going in and out.
How much does Crevan Island cost
The sale is confidential, so the current asking price for Crevan Island is not disclosed; however, in 2014 it was put on the market with an asking price of €12.5 million.
The market for such a property is inevitably very exclusive. After all, buying an island requires a substantial budget for upkeep and maintenance that goes beyond a conventional luxury home, but it is precisely this absence of an ordinary scale that constitutes the main draw. What is offered, even before the square footage of the residence, is a level of privacy hard to obtain on the mainland and even rarer just a few kilometers from Venice.
Not only a historic building, then. Crevan combines a Napoleonic fortification, a large green space and an unusual position in the Venetian landscape. A piece of lagoon that, for the next owner, could become entirely private.
Where is Crevan Island located
Crevan lies about seven kilometers from Venice. Enough to reach the city without long transfers, but also to find yourself in an environment completely different from the most frequented alleys. The distance is not far from the colorful Burano on the horizon or from Torcello, which is reachable in a few minutes of navigation. Here there are no neighbors behind a wall, no traffic or pedestrians in front of the door. The natural boundary is the water… a true corner of peace where privacy is guaranteed.
