Riva, 170 years of history and emotion

Riva is now 170 years old, an important anniversary which is being celebrated with a book that captures the emotions of a legend. How did this idea come about? There have been many books written about Riva and to celebrate this event we therefore wanted something a bit different. The idea was to collect testimonies from people who own our vessels, people who we work with, or who simply have a link to the brand. In fact, behind every testimony, there is a story, behind every image, there’s a moment to remember; we have to thank the editor, Riccardo Sassoli, who was able to synthesise all of this into a book. The 170 testimonies in the book are narrative voices that make the legend of Riva a reality. Which testimony struck you the most and why? I particularly loved - and share - the words of Muhtar Kent, Ceo of the Coca-Cola Company and owner of a 63’ Vertigo: “A brand is a promise; and a good brand is a promise kept. In the last thirty-four years of my working experience, wherever I go, in every country and every city, Coca-Cola continues to confirm this motto in an amazing way every day. And now, after four years of being a proud ship owner I see the same motto coming alive with Riva. With each outing, and each marina or port that I have sailed through, I have personally witnessed this…”. In this statement there are both the wisdom of a great manager and the pride of a ship owner, so I was touched! What has changed from Riva’s beginnings, from 1842 until today, that makes it one of the world’s leading creators of luxury yachts? Riva was created thanks to the will and the courage of men who began the company by working hard and handing down, from generation to generation, the values which we still believe in: these include craftsmanship, expertise, and safety. Nowadays the production processes, the market and in some cases, the materials have changed, but the fundamental aspects of the brand have remained unchanged: in particular, innovation, the desire to innovate and continuously improve, attention to detail and stylistic research that focuses on a timeless and sleek design. The decade of 2000/2010 saw intense design activity, which was boosted in 2004 by the support of a new shipyard in La Spezia. How were the guidelines of the Sarnico facility implemented in the La Spezia headquarters? The production centre in La Spezia has been designed according to the most innovative construction techniques from both a production and commercial point of view. For example, the site’s spray painting facility, as well as respecting the strictest environmental norms, is the largest in the nautical field for fibreglass boats. The goal was to maintain the excellent craftsmanship of the establishment on Lake Iseo. To achieve this, for months, we transferred the most experienced craftsmen from Sarnico to the site in La Spezia. I would also like to take the opportunity to highlight that today the La Spezia shipyard builds boats that are almost 40m and - being on the Tyrrhenian Sea - is a strategic hub for all the brands of the Group, providing technical, logistical and commercial support: we also carry out port and assistance services for customers. Since 2001 the Riva range is renewed and almost one new model is unveiled every year, each one a success. What has made them so? It’s difficult to generalise: the Riva range covers vessels from 27 to 122