Riva Yacht

The Riva boatyard was established in 1842 on Lake Iseo, in Sarnico-Italy. It was a sudden and devastating storm – which irreversibly damaged the boats of the local fishermen, who were left shocked and powerless – that persuaded a young shipbuilder and craftsman who had just moved from Laglio, near Como, to perform a true miracle and repair most of the crafts, thus winning the trust of the locals. This was the beginning of the legend of Riva and that of a man, Pietro Riva, who – immediately after moving to Sarnico – became the master of his own destiny. This was the place where the first boats signed by Riva were launched and immediately stood out for their unmatched style and personality. Riva rapidly gained great respect and recognition; the boatyard flourished also thanks to the far-sightedness of Ernesto Riva, who had succeeded his father Pietro and introduced internal combustion engines on Riva boats. The era of large cargo and passenger boats operating on the lake thus began. After World War I, Serafino Riva gave Riva products their final imprinting and turned the boatyard’s precious crafts into a real brand, allowing it to take a step into history: production steered from transportation to power boating, which at the time was still dawning. Between the 1920s and the 1930s Riva, through its racing yachts, collected a large number of records and victories in national and international competitions.