Riva S.p.A.

Riva is one of the oldest names in Italian boatbuilding. It began in 1842, when shipwright Pietro Riva opened a boatyard in Sarnico on Lake Iseo. Today the brand belongs to Ferretti Group, which it joined in 2000. The range now covers open runabouts, sportfly yachts, flybridge yachts and, through the Riva Superyachts Division, larger steel and aluminium vessels. The company says its yachts span 8 to 54 metres. Models are named in a clear family: Rivamare, Aquariva and Iseo at the smaller end, then the 56-foot Rivale, 58-foot Capri, Diable, Bahamas, Perseo, Folgore, Argo, Corsaro, Dolcevita and the 130-foot Bellissima. The 54Metri sits at the top of the line. Production is split across three Italian sites: Sarnico, La Spezia and Ancona. Sarnico builds the smaller boats, La Spezia handles the larger flybridge and sportfly models, and Ancona is home to the superyacht division. In June 2025 the yard marked the launch of its 100th Rivamare 38, a long-running model. The brand also runs a heritage side, with a classic-boat programme and a boutique, and it keeps the memory of the Aquarama of 1962 alive in its history.

Pietro Riva opened a boatyard in Sarnico in 1842. His successors moved from transport boats to engines and then to motorboats. The Aquarama appeared in 1962, in the Carlo Riva era. In 1969 the yard built its first fibreglass boats, and Carlo Riva sold the business to the US firm Whittaker. The last wooden Aquarama Special was built in 1996. Ferretti Group acquired Riva in 2000, and Weichai became the group's main shareholder in 2012. The Riva Anniversario was built in 2022 for the yard's 180th anniversary.

Riva has changed materials with the times. The earliest boats were wooden, and the company still hand-varnishes wooden parts in 24 steps. Fibreglass arrived in 1969 and became the basis of the modern open and flybridge models. The larger Riva Superyachts Division builds displacement-hull superyachts in steel, and its first yacht, the 50Metri, combined steel and aluminium. Riva also uses other materials where they suit the design: the 88-foot Folgore, for example, is described as using carbon fibre with mahogany inlays. The El-Iseo is a fully electric model. Larger flybridge models such as the Argo Super are powered by twin MTU engines. Riva works with designer Mauro Micheli and his Officina Italiana Design on its superyacht programme.

Riva suits owners who want a fast, stylish Mediterranean-style yacht with a long brand history. The open and sportfly models fit day cruising and weekends on the coast, while the flybridge range and the 54Metri serve owners who want more cabins and space for longer trips. Buyers also get a strong heritage name, with classic boats and a boutique around it.

Riva's historic base is in Sarnico, on Lake Iseo in Lombardy, where the smaller models are built. The larger yachts are built in La Spezia in Liguria, and the superyacht division works from Ancona on the Adriatic coast. Ferretti S.p.A., the parent company, has its headquarters in Forlì.