Ivrea was founded in 100 B.C. by the Romans who called it "Eporedia".

The name derives from the words "Epo" (horse) and "Reda" (cart) because the first inhabitants of the place were skilled horse trainers. Subsequent alterations of the name changed it into Ivrea. The town was built following the reticular orthogonal system, even if adapted to the conformation of the hilly ground sloping down in the direction of the river Dora Baltea.

No documents show the planimetry of Ivrea in the Middle Ages, but an idea of how it was in that period can be seen from a "View of Ivrea" drawn by the geographer G.T. Borgogno in 1671, for Duke Charles Emanuel II of Savoy

It's possible to deduce from the statutes that Ivrea was divided into 3 parts or "terzieri" and surrounded by walls that were interrupted by nine main gates.