Sicily has an incredibly rich historical culture, dating back to the times of the ancient Greeks and even earlier. With the presence of numerous Greek ruins, our inspiration comes not only from these ancient temples and dwellings but also from the magical references to the beautiful island in classical mythology. The myth of Alpheios and Arethusa connects Greece and Sicily through the story of the river god Alpheios in Arcadia and his muse Arethusa.
Alpheios fell in love with the beautiful nereid while she was bathing in his waters. Not wishing to yield to the god, Arethusa prayed to her protector, Artemis, to hide her. Artemis enveloped her in a cloud of mist to conceal her, but Arethusa, overcome with fear, began to become transparent and gradually dripped into the waters of Alpheios. As the two waters merged, Artemis struck the earth to allow Arethusa to escape through a network of caves beneath the Mediterranean before arriving at Ortygia, the island opposite Syracuse in Sicily, where she emerged as a freshwater spring.