CARLO RIVA PASSED AWAY on April 10 in his hometown of Sarnico at the age of 95. Although the family business was founded in 1842, Carlo Riva’s iconic designs in the 1950s and 1960s created the Italian brand’s golden age and epitomised la dolce vita on the sea.
CARLO RIVA PASSED AWAY on April 10 in his hometown of Sarnico at the age of 95. Although the family business was founded in 1842, Carlo Riva’s iconic designs in the 1950s and 1960s created the Italian brand’s golden age and epitomised la dolce vita on the sea.
Anita Ekberg, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Connery, Jean Paul Belmondo, Richard Burton and Jackie Stewart were among the actors, celebrities, sports stars and aristocrats who owned Rivas.
Alberto Galassi, CEO of the Ferretti Group, said: “Carlo Riva has left us, the greatest of them all. The world has lost a brilliant creator of boats, a master of style, a giant in Italy’s industrial and business history. To me, this is a personal loss of a master, an example of brilliance, commitment and of dedication to work.
“Carlo Riva taught us all the meaning of vision, creativity and passion. His vision and inexhaustible innovative energy make him the leading personality in the 20th-century yachting world, a man whose extraordinary creations have already become legends.
“Carlo Riva’s boats will always be the finest in the world, a source of inspiration to all of us who feel a strong sense of responsibility for the stewardship of, and for taking forward into the future, the leading brand in world yachting.”
Born in Sarnico on February 24, 1922, Carlo Riva was driven from an early age by a passion for boats and working in boatyards. He joined the family business at a young age, following his father Serafino, his grandfather Ernesto and his great-grandfather Pietro, who founded the company.
In 1954, Carlo Riva opened the futuristic shipyard that is still protected by the Italian Superintendence for Artistic and Architectural Heritage, and organised
it based on an innovative production structure. He helped transform the idea of a boat from being a transport vehicle or racing machine to an object of pleasure, leisure and luxury.
His iconic designs included Ariston, Tritone, Sebino and Florida through to the legendary Aquarama, which was unveiled in 1962 and sold 21 units during the first year of production. A year later, the Super version was created. Aquarama remained in production until the 1990s and the last hull (#784) lies in the museum of the Sarnico boatyard.
A true visionary, Carlo Riva produced the first fibreglass yacht in 1969 and created the Riva Boat Service to provide technical and sales assistance, before leaving the shipyard in the early 1970s. In 2005, Prince Albert II of Monaco named him ‘Personnalite de la Mer’ for his contribution to the yachting industry.
