Barbania borders the following municipalities: Rivara, Busano, Rocca Canavese, Levone, and Vauda Canavese. It originates from a Salassi Celtic village founded around the late 5th century BC. In the Middle Ages it was a free commune (11th century), until it was conquered by Philip I of Piedmont in 1305; thenceforth its history is connected with the Duchy of Savoy.