Riva is the most titled brand of yachts and boats, 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 the classic Riva yachts go back to 1842, when a 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 the locals. Soon Pietro himself began to build boats, then his son Ernesto Riva replaced him. Under him, Riva boats were first equipped with engines. After World War I, Serafino Riva converted the Riva from a vehicle to a boat for sports and recreation. In the 1920s and 30s, Riva collected many racing boat records.

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