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The view in the photo is from a point
above the city hall looking south. Most of the modern
square is where water used to be,
and the modern port of Naples extends well out into the
sea. (When the Maschio Angioino was built in 1300 it was
right at water’s edge.) In ancient times, the port was
established on the western side of the bay, better
sheltered from western and southern winds. The ancient
port shown in the graphic below indicates the point
where three Roman vessels (photo, below) were uncovered
during excavation for the new metropolitana subway line. That point
in the photo (right) is in the lower-left quadrant of
the photo (marked by yellow construction equipment and a
white tarpaulin).
 To my knowledge, there is no
evidence that even the earliest port at the time of the
Greek foundation of the city in 450 BC was ever fed by a
stream or river of any sort. Also, it is unclear to what
extent the same area was used as a port by the earlier
city of Parthenope (indicated in the graphic). It is
likely that they used a closer area, that is, directly
below the Mt. Echia height
where Parthenope was situated. The ships shown in the
photo were excavated and removed for restoration and
will likely be returned to be displayed in the museum
that will form an integral part of the new metropolitana
station once it is opened (probably sometime in 2012).
[also see Roman Port]
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The port of ancient
Naples (Neapolis) was where 
Neapolis was
a busy and important port. At the end of the fourth
century BC massive dredging had to be carried out in
order to keep the port functional. Excavations have
shown that a pier of wooden poles and calcareous stones
was built at the end of the first century AD, and quays
were built as late as the second century AD. The
port remained in use in the approximate
configuration shown in the graphic for a very long time,
well into Byzantine times after the Gothic wars. This is
where the ships loaded and unloaded their freight, part
of which fell into the sea to become archaeological
finds for us.