It was 1842, and on Lake Iseo, a sudden storm had devastated the fishing fleet. Yet the young shipwright Pietro Riva was working wonders, restoring many of the vessels to full seagoing health and earning the local people’s respect and admiration in the process. The Riva legend was born there, in the little town of Sarnico, where Pietro Riva opened the yard, led then by his son Ernesto. The ’50s belonged to Carlo Riva, whose talent and passion turned the brand into one of the brightest stars in the nautical firmament. In November 1962, the legend was born: Aquarama, the Riva icon, “the boat” par excellence, a brand within a brand.
In May 2000, Riva became part of Ferretti Group, who restored it to where it is today, at the vanguard of world boating as a recognized icon of fine Italian yachting artistry. This felicitous journey is down to the know-how of the collaboration between Ferretti Group Product Strategy Committee, led by Mr. Piero Ferrari, the Engineering department and the designer Mauro Micheli, co-founder with Sergio Beretta of Officina Italiana Design, the studio that exclusively designs the whole Riva fleet from 8 to 90 meters: open, sport-fly, flybridge and superyachts.
The decade from 2000 to 2010 was characterised by an intense design strategy that since 2004 has been enriched thanks to the support of the new shipyard in La Spezia.
From 2014 Ferretti Group added new life to the Riva shipyards. The Riva range was completely refreshed and remodeled by producing a new model almost every year, until today’s range which includes: Iseo, Aquariva Super, Rivamare, Dolceriva, 56’ Rivale, 66’ Ribelle, 68’ Diable, 76’ Bahamas, 88’ Florida, 76’ Perseo Super, Riva 88’ Folgore, Riva 90’ Argo, Riva 100’ Corsaro, Riva 110’ Dolcevita.
At the same time, Riva also announced the brand’s new range, now known as the Superyachts Division: a new fleet consisting of steel vessels from 50 to 90 meters in length, which is entirely produced at the Ferretti Group Superyacht Yard in Ancona, one of the largest yacht production facilities in Europe.
In 2019 in the spectacular setting of Venice, the first Riva 50 Metri M/Y Race, the steel superyacht built by the Riva Superyachts Division, was officially presented, turning Carlo Riva’s dream into reality.
