Riva is the most renowned yacht and boat brand, one of the most famous in the Italian luxury industry, and a brand that has had a serious impact on the world history of industrial design.
The roots of classic Riva yachts go back to 1842, when the young Pietro Riva began repairing and building yachts on Lake Iseo in northern Italy. That year, a severe storm on the lake almost destroyed the fishing fleet, and Riva repaired many damaged boats, quickly gaining the trust of local residents. Soon Pietro began building boats himself, then his son Ernesto Riva replaced him. Under him, Reeve's boats were equipped with engines for the first time. After the First World War, Serafino Riva transformed the Riva from a vehicle into a boat for sports and recreation. In the 1920s and 30s, Riva collected many records among racing boats.

But it was Carlo Riva, the great-grandson of the company's founder Pietro Riva, who came up with the idea to create a series of wooden-hulled speedboats that became the epitome of the jet set era of the 1950s and 1960s.