Source of sweet water drinkable wich alimented a great part of the city durng antiquity.

The Alphea god of the river, a long time ago, felt in love for the Arethuse nymph, one of the Artemis servant, who was having a bath in the river.
To protect her from the God ambition, Artemis divinity transformed the nymph in a source, who escaped under the sea until to Ortygia.
But Alphea succed to catch her and mixed his waters with hers when Arethuse passed back over the sea.

See also : photos of Ortygia in Syracuse