The area of Cirié and Alto Canavese was inhabited since ancient times by the Salassi, a population of Celtic origin. In the year 143 B.C., the Romans, led by consul Appius Claudius Pulcher, waged war against the tribes settled in the Orco and Dora Baltea valleys, with the intention of opening a way towards Helvetia and transalpine Gaul. Encampments were thus set up near Ivrea, Turin and in the area where Cirié now stands, from where access to the Lanzo valleys could be guarded. The encampment near present-day Cirié probably referred to the large number of turkey oaks in the area. It took the name Castrum Cerreti, or, more simply, 'Cerretum': a name that changed to Ciriacum with the advent of Christianity, following the custom of the time to choose a patron saint (in this case St Ciriaco), who was as close as possible to that of one's own municipality. The main decumanus of the ancient camp could be identified with today's Via Vittorio Emanuele II, the main street of the old town.
With the final subjugation of the Salassi, the castrum became an important crossroads of trade, giving rise to a settlement.
To find more precise and reliable news of the small village of Ciriè we come to the beginning of the 13th century. We know for certain that in 1229 the territory of Cirié was occupied by the Marquises of Monferrato who were in conflict with the Counts of Savoy for dominion over Canavese. In 1296 Margherita, daughter of Amedeo V of Savoy, married Giovanni I of Monferrato, obtaining, as a guarantee of her dowry, the rights, for life, over the Castellanie of Caselle, Ciriè and Lanzo. On the premature death of her husband, Margherita had in usufruct, as a widow's allotment, the three Castellanies, which she governed personally, taking up residence in the ancient Castle of Ciriè.
This was, for Margaret's Castellania, a period of great prosperity for the village of Ciriè. Margaret died in August 1349 but, in the meantime, her Castellancies had already been confirmed in the possession of the House of Savoy through another marriage.
Margherita's settlement in the castle, which took place in 1306, is still commemorated today with the Palio dei Borghi, an event that takes place every two years in the Ciriacese area. There are no traces left of the castle, as it was destroyed during the French invasion in 1536 and the remains were completely dispersed during the redevelopment of Piazza Castello in the early 20th century.
In 1576, Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, wanting an outlet to the sea for his State, bought the port of Oneglia and other lands in the Imperia area from the Genoese Patrician Gian Gerolamo D'Oria, in exchange for Ciriè, raised to Marquisate with Nole and S. Maurizio, and the County of Cavallermaggiore. The D'Oria established his residence in Cirié, giving rise to a lineage that would last until the early 20th century, dying out with Emanuele D'Oria, 10th Marquis of Ciriè and del Maro, who was also the first mayor of Cirié, after it was granted the title of city by a Royal Decree-Law in 1905. Andrea, the latter's only son, died in combat during the First World War.
The 19th century, characterised by the long and arduous journey towards national unification, by the alternating splendours and decadences of the history of the Risorgimento, did not bring major upheavals to Ciriè. On the contrary, it was a positive period, especially as far as industrial development was concerned and, thanks to the inauguration in 1869 of the Torino - Ciriè railway line, the municipality became the epicentre of commercial interest for the area as early as the beginning of the century.