Just before the small bay of Dexa a dirt road slopes up to the mountain of Petaleiko where ,at an altitude of 190 m.and distance of 4 km from Vathy, is the famous Cave of the Nymphs or Marmarospilia. According to Homer, when Ulysses returned to Ithaca he used this cave to hide the gifts which were offered to him by the Faeacians’ king Alkinoos.

The cave, small and narrow with a height of 10m., has some stalactites and two entrances, the second being above. People say that the "one entrance is for the Gods and the other for the human beings". This cave fits Homer’s description of the cave used by Ulysses. Until the 18th century there was another cave at the northern point of the beach in Dexa Bay.

According to written information it also corresponds to the one described by Homer. Unfortunately, people destroyed it by using its rocks as building material having ignorance of its historical value.

Another dirt road, 5 km long,starts from Vathy and ends near the Southern part of the island at the area of Marathias. Here there is a path that leads down to a beautiful small beach which is exactly opposite the islet of Pera Pigadi.

Just above this beach the Arethousa Fountain flows from the base of the high rock of Koraka. Nearby is the cave and land used by Eumeus.

In Homer's Odyssey, when Ulysses returned to the island following the Goddess Athena’s advice he went to his faithful shepherd Eumeus who informed him of the situation of affairs in his Kingdom.
The details of this area coincide with Homer’s account.

In Marathias,at a site named Hellenico was a small ancient inhabitation. From several but incomplete excavations,buildings and a variety of objects from the Mycenaen Period were discovered.