Riva
For fans and the general public, the international yacht brand Riva, in collaboration with the Fondazione Museo Barca Lariana, inaugurated a new 300-square-meter showroom at the MBL Lake Como International Museum of Vintage Boats in Pianello in October. del Lario, dedicated to the prestigious boats built on Lake Iseo.
The MBL room, designed by the architect Paolo Albano in collaboration with Riva, takes the visitor on a journey back in time from the 1930s to the period personified by “La Dolce Vita”, when the unmistakable lines of the Aquarama carried the style Italian to the nautical world and to the international collective imagination. It is a tribute to Serafino Riva, famous for high-speed racing boats, and to his son Carlo Riva, who knew how to turn the brand into an international symbol and an object of desire loved by movie stars, aristocrats and sports champions.
The museum collection also has several really special models: HaLu is a Riva from the 30s, when Serafino was still in charge of the shipyard. HaLu is probably one of the oldest and best preserved vintage Rivas in the world. The two Riva R-Series models, the first to be built on a small production line, are from a few years later, as is the very rare racer equipped with Guzzi engines. Also on display is a Riva Florida with a special Scottish Madras upholstery. Visitors can also admire a series of traditional molds used to produce helmets.
The museum’s bookstore will also display the refined Riva Brand Experience collection, which ranges from exclusive clothing and accessories to original designer objects and collectibles, to always carry a memory of the sea and the legendary history of Riva. Among the latest novelties available in the bookstore is ‘Riva In The Movie’, a priceless book that tells the story of more than 50 films in which Riva yachts have played an important and often starring role alongside movie stars. of all the world. The close relationship between the group’s legend and the seventh art is celebrated not only with the book, but also with the impressive short film ‘Riva In The Movie’, with a masterful performance by Pierfrancesco Flavino, which was presented at the 77th International Film Festival of Venice cinema and projected at the Museum.
The room dedicated to Riva, created in collaboration with the Fondazione Museo Barca Lariana, reminds visitors of the origins from which the legend arose. Born in Laglio in 1822, Pietro Riva left his hometown for Sarnico on Lake Iseo to help local fishermen after a violent storm completely destroyed his fleet. The Riva family returned to Lake Como only 130 years later, with the opening of the Colombo dealership, the exclusive distributor of Riva boats, which are still being built only in Sarnico and nowhere else.
Lake Como, one of the most enchanting places to explore aboard a Riva, has always been a haven for recreational boating, acknowledging the historical fact that it was Carlo Riva, and no one else, who built the centuries-old history of this unique and inimitable brand that in 2022 celebrates its 180th anniversary.
