Ciciu del Villar, Regional nature reserve in Villar San Costanzo, Italy.

Ciciu del Villar is a 64-hectare regional nature reserve on the Costa Pragamonti slope of the Val Maira, between 650 and 950 m, below Monte San Bernardo. Its erosion columns, called ciciu in Piedmontese, are pale beige earth necks capped by darker rounded gneiss boulders that overhang them like umbrellas. A 2000 census by Alberto Costamagna counted 479 of them in about 0.25 km², mostly under 2 m tall, among chestnut and downy oak.

The reserve was established in 1989 and is managed by the Ente di gestione del Parco naturale del Marguareis. The erosion columns themselves formed after the last glacial period, when meltwater from the Faussimagna torrent deposited iron-rich debris at the foot of Monte San Bernardo; later uplift and erosion exposed the capped pillars. A 2000 census by Alberto Costamagna of the University of Turin counted 479 formations across about 25 hectares.

The name ciciu comes from Piedmontese for puppet or dummy, and locals long explained the columns as enchanted fruits or as the fruit of a miracle: the most widespread legend says Saint Constantius, a Roman legionary martyred around 303–305 AD, cursed the soldiers pursuing him on Monte San Bernardo and turned them to stone. A sanctuary was built on the spot of his killing in the 12th century.

Visitors should contact the Pro Villar tourism office on Piazza Giovanni Giolitti to arrange guided tours of the reserve. Walking with a guide is the recommended way to explore the formations safely and learn about the site.

The 2000 census by University of Turin researcher Alberto Costamagna counted 479 columns within about 0.25 km². Their caps are gneiss from the Dora-Maira massif, while the stems are roughly 90% clay and sand with iron oxide that gives them a reddish tint. Some columns reach 10 m, though most stay under 2 m.