1842. Lake d’Iseo. A sudden storm wreaks what appears to be irreparable havoc: damaged boats, disheartened fishermen with no means with which to work. But a skilled young carpenter, newly arrived in the area from Laglio on Lake Como, accomplishes a miracle, managing to repair most of the boats, earning himself the esteem and admiration of the people of the town.
This is how the Riva story began – from a man who became the master of his own destiny.
The skilled carpenter was Pietro Riva, who had just arrived in Sarnico.
Pietro opened his shipyard here, where it all began. This is where the very first Riva creations were built, yachts like nobody had ever seen before. Riva quickly became a well-known, highly esteemed company and the shipyard’s work continued to prosper under the management of Ernesto Riva, who succeeded his father. Ernesto introduced technical innovations which raised the quality of what was still artisan production.
He was also the person whose intuition led him to fit internal-combustion engines on the yachts. This was the period during which Riva produced large boats for transporting people and goods over the lake.
After the Great War, Serafino Riva made his mark on how the company would continue to be organised, transforming the shipyard’s esteemed products into a true brand, one which would go down in history. Resolutely putting the tiller hard over, production veered away from transportation towards motorboating, still at its very beginnings at that time. Spanning the 20s and 30s, the Riva family broke a number of records, winning several victories with its speedboats too, in both national and international competitions.
The 50s were Carlo Riva’s years, and those of pleasure boating, of the brand which had become a synonym for elegance, status and perfection. Materials chosen only from the very best available, painstaking care taken over detail, decades worth of artisan experience. Riva creations are an object of desire for kings and queens from all countries, as well as actors and actresses, sports champions, businesspeople and celebrities of all kinds. Still today, these jewels hold the glamour of that time in the past, with its paparazzi, scarved, sunglassed divas, romantic escapades on the water, cover love affairs, timeless luxury and elegance.
