Riva boats: An Italian 'Cadillac on the water'

During Italy's post-war boom years, Riva's glamorous wooden boats were the pinnacle of "la dolce vita" – the Ferraris of motorboats, owned by movie stars, tycoons and royalty. Correspondent Seth Doane takes a spin on the water in a classic Riva; checks out a new edition of the famed Aquarama boat; and learns how the company is working to keep Riva's spirit alive.
#riva #rivaboat #italy

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[roberthepburn]

It's a disservice to Sophia Loren to say that the Kardashians are the modern day Sophia Loren's
Sophia Loren was class and beauty and grace the Kardashians are TV hos

[daenas]

Kardashians will NEVER reach the level of the sophistication and class of Sophia Loren....

[RHTeebs]

Gorgeous boat. Italians truly know how to make machinery look beautiful.

[melbaker]

Watching them on Lake Como this Spring was a real treat. The style of those wondeful boats against the backdrop of the Italian villas and those lovely northern lakes.

[aah]

Did you really compare the Riva to a Cadillac 😖 .. it’s the Ferrari of boats not Cadillac ..

[SarahRenz]

Even the wake pattern is gorgeous. I love the Italians' philosophy of surrounding oneself with beauty and their resultant emphasis on great design. It's a joy to see such great craftsmanship.

[pedrozurita]

That little wooden masterpiece of a Riva is the boat that I think about when I think about real "nothing to worry about" wealth.

[hummersd]

Love it! While I know I would never own a Riva boat or yacht, it’ll be a goal to ride in one the next time I’m in Italy. Love all your segments, Seth! What a dream job!

[larrysouthern]

Beautiful boats and craftsmanship...
.they are like works of art on the water!!!

[Nighthawk-]

A Riva to me is a floating work of art. Masterpiece !

[colingarner]

When you say Cadillac you insult the boat . You should have said Rolls Royce for comparison .

[ericduffield]

Bellissimo! and Seth's Italian is good 😊

[Pembrey]

“It’s a bloody difficult job, I can assure you” 👍 Too good 👍
I can sense the belief and the love ❤️

[chrisfinch]

Now it’s about time I ride one of those, one of these days. It’s Italian boats like these that look so fancy and look so smooth sailing.

[Loulovesspeed]

I have a wonderful 30" wooden model of this same Riva craft with exquisite wood, chrome metal fittings and soft upholstery. It's not the real life Riva, but is is a stunning detailed model of one! Ferruccio Lamborghini had Riva build him a custom version powered by 2 of his 300HP V12 engines. It has to be valued at well over $1M. A marvelous water craft that shows what fine Italian artisans are capable of creating!

[ferngully]

75% of their business is SUPER YACHTS??? And therein lies what has happened to the world. Greed all around. So much for saving the planet/environment. I was smiling at the story and the beauty of italy and the boat until he made that statement and then I felt ill with the reality of what that means. Well, everything dies out eventually. Humans are no exception. Especially when we’re doing it to ourselves. Ciao!

[afod]

I am definitely going to have to up my game. Next time I go fishing in my Ranger Bass Boat, I am going to wear Ray Ban Sunglasses, my favorite sport coat, a fresh starched shirt with neck tie and matching pocket square.

Those Riva’s are beautiful.

[stevefoster]

I have a 1964 Imperial Ghia (1 of 10) built in Turin: amazing style and craftsmanship.

[Vylkeer]

Rivas really are the crown jewel of Italian naval craftmanship. Timeless motorboats. Ferretti Group, which also owns Riva, is maybe the largest and most vibrant of Italian nautical companies, and they have a portfolio of wonderful shipyards. A noteworthy of them being Itama, imo. Thanks for this piece.

[helipeek]

A Riva is hardly a Cadillac, because it’s; elegant, stylish, purposeful, hand crafted and appears to go round corners.