It is 1842 and in Sarnico, on Lake Iseo, a sudden storm devastates fishermen’s boats. Pietro Riva is a young shipwright who opens his shipyard after restoring most of the boats, and he begins a true legend that will be passed down from generation to generation.
The advent of the internal combustion engine
The first boats designed by Riva immediately stood out for their unique and unmistakable design. When, in 1880, the company’s management was passed to his son Ernesto, the introduction of the internal combustion engine marked a major innovation that would launch the era of large boats for lake transport. The first of these would be launched under the name ‘Sarnico’ in homage to the village where the family’s fortunes were born.
The Powerboat Challenge
It was Serafino Riva who transformed the company into the legend we all know. After the First World War, in fact, he decided to shift the production focus from transport to motorboats, a sector still in its infancy at the time but that would soon see Riva among the protagonists. Between the Twenties and Thirties, Riva scored its first victories in Italian and international competitions, thanks to its racing motorboats.
A myth called Aquarama
In the Fifties, Carlo Riva took up Serafino’s legacy and consolidated it. In 1956, he began collaborating with the architect and designer Roberto Barilani. In November 1962, Aquarama was born, a boat with unmistakable lines and unique elegance that would become synonymous with Riva. In 1969, production of fibreglass boats started. The day cruiser Bahia Mar 20′ and the Sport Fisherman 25′ cabin cruiser were the first models built in composite. However, wood was not abandoned until the 1990s: the last example of Aquarama was built in 1996.
With the Ferretti Group
Since 2000, Riva has been part of the Ferretti Group after ownership had passed first to the US group Whittaker and then to the English Vickers. Thus, Riva has once again become a splendid example of Italian nautical art. In addition, the collaboration with designer Mauro Micheli – whose studio exclusively designs all the boats for the Riva fleet – has enabled the company to remain at the highest levels and to continue bringing the legend to life.
Three outstanding shipyards
Today, Riva continues to operate in the Sarnico shipyard – where it all began – which, on a surface area of 36,000 square metres, also hosts Carlo Riva’s legendary office, ‘La Plancia’, protected, together with the whole shipyard, by the Superintendenza ai Beni Ambientali. There is also the La Spezia shipyard, the Group’s reference point at a technical, logistic, and commercial level in the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Sea basin. Here, in addition to producing the largest models in the range (76 – 130 feet), there is the centre for testing, launching, and delivering yachts from the entire Ferretti Group.
Finally, the Ancona shipyard is home to the ‘Superyachts Division’, which works closely with designer Mauro Micheli and Officina Italiana Design.
Congratulations to those who have tenaciously brought Italian style to the world!
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