One legend maintained that Zeus was born not in Crete or on Olympos but here at Ithomi , where he was brought up by two nymphs, Ithomi and Neda .
Water flows from the heart of the mountain to splash out in the centre of the village.
It was in this stream that the nymphs used to bathe the baby Zeus . It is also called the Kallirhoi fountain and Pausanias referred to it as the Spring of Arsinoe . Dotted with important ancient sites, the land in the area is watered by this spring. The new city became the capital of the liberated Messinians . 9 kilometres long and 3 metres wide.