The neighbourhood is the result of the expansion of the city south of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, in the second half of the 19th century. It lies between the railway to the west and the Po river to the east, stretching from north to south along Corso Massimo d'Azeglio, Via Madama Cristina and Via Nizza. Originally a residential neighbourhood, Borgo San Salvario never included any industrial plants.