Riserva naturale del Bosco del Vaj, Regional nature reserve in Castagneto Po, Italy.

The Riserva naturale del Bosco del Vaj is a regional nature reserve on the Collina Torinese, entirely within the comune of Castagneto Po about a kilometre south of the village. It protects a mixed coppice woodland dominated by chestnut, with standards of oak and beech; the beech is a glacial relict that survived in the cooler northern slopes. Its highest point is the Bric del Vaj at 583 m, marked by a large summit cross.

The reserve was established in 1978 to protect rare beech forests that are relics from the ice age. These woodlands survived extreme climate conditions and remain today as evidence of that ancient period.

The name Vaj refers to the hill, Bric del Vaj, whose 583 m summit carries a large cross reached by three marked trails. The woods lie entirely within Castagneto Po, and the reserve is managed together with the Parco naturale della Collina di Superga and the Parco fluviale del Po-tratto torinese.

Multiple marked trails run through the reserve and allow visitors different levels of forest exploration. The best time to visit is spring and autumn when weather is mild and paths are easy to walk.

The beech trees here are glacial relics that retreated to the coolest slopes of the Collina Torinese after the last ice age; they still keep tall-trunk form. The reserve also shelters wild boar, badger, fox, green and black woodpecker, and the wolf.