It originates in the Cottian Alps, close to the Col de Montgenèvre in France, where it is called the Piccola Dora.

Further down the valley, in Oulx, the river grows thanks to its main upper tributary, the Dora di Bardonecchia, and before Susa is augmented by the Galambra and Cenischia.

In the area between the confluence of Dora Riparia and Stura in the Po, where before the destruction caused by the Battle of Turin in 1706 one could find the Regio park, lies today the Parco della Colletta.

In the 20th century, industrial and urban development significantly degenerated environmental conditions in the river; renovation work did not start until the 1990s.

Then, in 2002, the agro-natural park of Dora Riparia was born, financed by the comune of Collegno and the region of Po, to preserve the natural habitat, but also to integrate agricultural and river area.