get us ▁Mountains , ▁between ▁Spart a ▁and ▁Kal am ata . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁Name ▁ ▁The ▁village ▁used ▁to ▁be ▁called ▁" Μ π α λ α " ▁or ▁Bal la ▁meaning ▁" ball " ▁in ▁local ▁Greek ▁dialect , ▁but ▁the ▁name ▁was ▁changed ▁as ▁the ▁government ▁err one ously ▁thought ▁that ▁the ▁name ▁was ▁of ▁S lav ic ▁orig ins . ▁In ▁actual ity , ▁Bal la ▁is ▁a ▁Greek ▁word ▁( of ▁Italian ▁orig ins ) ▁and ▁the ▁name ▁of ▁the ▁village ▁comes ▁from ▁a ▁story ▁involving ▁a ▁can non ball ▁which ▁saved ▁the ▁lives ▁of ▁those ▁who ▁would ▁go ▁on ▁to ▁found ▁the ▁village . ▁According ▁to ▁local ▁tradition , ▁when ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁Tur ks ▁were ▁coming ▁to ▁conquer ▁the ▁Pel op onnes us , ▁a ▁can non ▁was ▁brought ▁to ▁the ▁city ▁of ▁Kal am ata . ▁It ▁was ▁proph es ied ▁that ▁through ▁this ▁can non ▁the ▁local ▁Gree ks ▁would ▁be ▁saved . ▁After ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁Tur ks ▁defeated ▁the ▁By z antine ▁Greek ▁forces ▁and ▁their ▁Ven et ian ▁al lies , ▁some ▁Gree ks ▁in ▁des per ation ▁fired ▁the ▁can non ▁into ▁the ▁air . ▁A ▁priest ▁told ▁them ▁that ▁where ▁this ▁can non ball ▁land ed , ▁they ▁would ▁find ▁refuge . ▁The ▁can non ball ▁was ▁found ▁in ▁a ▁small ▁valley ▁between ▁two ▁hills , ▁and ▁the ▁village ▁of ▁Bal la , ▁which ▁would ▁later ▁become ▁P ef ko , ▁was ▁founded ▁there . ▁The ▁vill agers