Riva is one of the most iconic brands in the boating world. The Italian company has a peerless reputation built on 175 years of excellence that extends beyond its legendary luxury speedboats and yachts. Since 1842, when the Riva boatyard was established on Lake Iseo in Sarnico, Italy, the name has become a synonym for elegance, status and perfection.
Today that timeless passion for innovative design and immaculate quality can be seen in the gifts on offer this Christmas. Their unmatched style and personality, allied with traditional painstaking craftsmanship, has been applied to a range of gifts that will both astound and delight.
It is not just children who will be thrilled by authentic reproduction yachts built to scale. Collectors will be delighted too, impressed by the authenticity: the use of the original materials and the focus on detail.
Take a look at the Riva Boutique. You may get some inspiration for your own Christmas wish-list or you may find the perfect gifts for some of those people closest to you.
Afterall Riva have been performing miracles since 1842. That was when a young and audacious Pietro Riva astonished the fisherman of Lake Iseo by repairing their boats smashed by a storm with hitherto unseen skilled craftsmanship.
Collectors’ items
The Aquarama, a streamlined speedboat that epitomised the Riviera-living glamour of the 1960s, turned heads along the Côte d’Azur. Now this 1:43 scale model comes in 11 hand-finished pieces as carefully crafted as the parts of a Stradivarius violin. Collectors will be delighted as they build “the Queen of the Riviera”.
Clothing
The Riva T-Shirt, with the two distinctive aquamarine stripes, on the left sleeve epitomises the style and quality of a clothing range that includes polo shirts, caps and foulards.
Made from fine, soft merino wool, the garments are ideal for days at sea or recalling the grandeur of Riva’s remarkable nautical heritage. The natural fibres are adept at retaining warmth in chill sea breezes but able to wick perspiration away on warmer days.
Home decor
Riva lamps and chairs bring the sophisticated design of Riva into your home as do cushions, mugs and expresso cups. The Aquamara stools and tables have all the elegance of an elegant cocktail bar overlooking a gleaming marina where the yachting fraternity gather to savour La Dolce Vita. And is there anything better than a set of Riva towels in your bathroom to recall the splendours of a sparkling summer day on the water?
Inspired by the Aquavira Lamp, the limited edition Riva Lamp is modelled on the classic searchlight featured on the 1960s Riva Yachts. Fittingly the base is comprised of three overlaid steel sections in a propellor-like pattern.
Accessories
A range of accessories, including an iPhone cover and a waterproof USB drive, celebrate Riva’s classic aquamarine colour and the wood finishes, including maple and mahogany, used in the boats.
Pride of place in the collection goes to Rivanotes, a notebook whose twenty freehand drawings tell the story of the creative verve of the designers whose sketches were developed into classic boats.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Riva Boutique.
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.
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11 Comments
I had always aspired to own an iconic Riva speedboat, in the classic aquamarine style very of course, but I think it’s one of life’s aspirations that looks as if it will not be fulfilled. Perhaps the most I can hope for is to lovingly own one of the scale reproductions.
Potentially we have a beautiful holiday home in Cornwall but I’m ashamed to say that the breakfast room has been rather neglected over the years and is now in desperate need of a fresh look. I’ve had a look through the Riva shop and the aquamarine and natural woods style would definitely rejuvenate the place. If space permits I’d like to create a little cocktail corner with those stylish stools and tables. In my opinion the Cornish Riviera can be just as stylish as anything the French can offer.
My boy friend spends a lot of time messing about in boats, though they are not up to the Riva Level. A Riva T-shirt would make a perfect Christmas present for him. Thanks for the inspiration.
These are my sorts of presents. I don’t give a lot of presents but when I do I like it to be meaningful, something that will last and be very special to the recipient. I’d rather invest in quality than give something that is tacky.
As a designer, sadly way below the Riva status, I was tempted to take a look at the Rivanotes book on their website. It is a true labour of love. Pictorially it chronicles Riva’s development over more than a century and a half.
But there’s one question that I ask myself. Would I ever dare write in it with my spiders-crawl hand-writing?
Why does their packaging remind me of Tiffany’s? Anyway, as a diecast collector the details on the Riva metal scale speedboat appeals to me. It’s very, very good craftsmanship.
The truly great brands, the one that have real heart and passion at the core of their values, are more than just a collection of livery colours, logo and strap-lines. They usually have a narrative and a story too. That is certainly true of Riva with the young Piettro’s epic endeavours to save his neighbour’s boats.
My brother is an obsessive sailor, he spends every hour that he can on his boat. He would have loved the Riva T shirt.
I could kick myself that I’ve only just found this post. That would have made an awesome Christmas present for him. Still, there’s always his birthday.
I know that Christmas is long gone – and I’m definitely not planning next Christmas’s spending spree yet – but I just came across this post and took a look at the website. The Riva story is absolutely fascinating and a real credit to the family. Also, the online boutique may solve a few present dilemmas as the year goes on.
I like the look of that Aquamara stool. I’ve wanted bar stools in our kitchen for a while but a lot of them have quite small seats and don’t seem to be all that comfy, so I could definitely go for one with a better seat and a nicely padded back area. The models are such a sweet gifting idea for travellers, collectors or boat fans and they look really presentable and high quality, which you don’t always get with things like this.
It is not just children who will be thrilled by authentic reproduction yachts built to scale. Collectors will be delighted too, impressed by the authenticity: the use of the original materials and the focus on detail.
Take a look at the Riva Boutique. You may get some inspiration for your own Christmas wish-list or you may find the perfect gifts for some of those people closest to you.
Afterall Riva have been performing miracles since 1842. That was when a young and audacious Pietro Riva astonished the fisherman of Lake Iseo by repairing their boats smashed by a storm with hitherto unseen skilled craftsmanship.
Collectors’ items
The Aquarama, a streamlined speedboat that epitomised the Riviera-living glamour of the 1960s, turned heads along the Côte d’Azur. Now this 1:43 scale model comes in 11 hand-finished pieces as carefully crafted as the parts of a Stradivarius violin. Collectors will be delighted as they build “the Queen of the Riviera”.
Clothing
The Riva T-Shirt, with the two distinctive aquamarine stripes, on the left sleeve epitomises the style and quality of a clothing range that includes polo shirts, caps and foulards.
Clothing
The Riva T-Shirt, with the two distinctive aquamarine stripes, on the left sleeve epitomises the style and quality of a clothing range that includes polo shirts, caps and foulards.
Made from fine, soft merino wool, the garments are ideal for days at sea or recalling the grandeur of Riva’s remarkable nautical heritage. The natural fibres are adept at retaining warmth in chill sea breezes but able to wick perspiration away on warmer days.
Home decor
Riva lamps and chairs bring the sophisticated design of Riva into your home as do cushions, mugs and expresso cups. The Aquamara stools and tables have all the elegance of an elegant cocktail bar overlooking a gleaming marina where the yachting fraternity gather to savour La Dolce Vita. And is there anything better than a set of Riva towels in your bathroom to recall the splendours of a sparkling summer day on the water?
Inspired by the Aquavira Lamp, the limited edition Riva Lamp is modelled on the classic searchlight featured on the 1960s Riva Yachts. Fittingly the base is comprised of three overlaid steel sections in a propellor-like pattern.
Accessories
A range of accessories, including an iPhone cover and a waterproof USB drive, celebrate Riva’s classic aquamarine colour and the wood finishes, including maple and mahogany, used in the boats.
Pride of place in the collection goes to Rivanotes, a notebook whose twenty freehand drawings tell the story of the creative verve of the designers whose sketches were developed into classic boats.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Riva Boutique.
I had always aspired to own an iconic Riva speedboat, in the classic aquamarine style very of course, but I think it’s one of life’s aspirations that looks as if it will not be fulfilled. Perhaps the most I can hope for is to lovingly own one of the scale reproductions.
Potentially we have a beautiful holiday home in Cornwall but I’m ashamed to say that the breakfast room has been rather neglected over the years and is now in desperate need of a fresh look. I’ve had a look through the Riva shop and the aquamarine and natural woods style would definitely rejuvenate the place. If space permits I’d like to create a little cocktail corner with those stylish stools and tables. In my opinion the Cornish Riviera can be just as stylish as anything the French can offer.
My boy friend spends a lot of time messing about in boats, though they are not up to the Riva Level. A Riva T-shirt would make a perfect Christmas present for him. Thanks for the inspiration.
These are my sorts of presents. I don’t give a lot of presents but when I do I like it to be meaningful, something that will last and be very special to the recipient. I’d rather invest in quality than give something that is tacky.
As a designer, sadly way below the Riva status, I was tempted to take a look at the Rivanotes book on their website. It is a true labour of love. Pictorially it chronicles Riva’s development over more than a century and a half.
But there’s one question that I ask myself. Would I ever dare write in it with my spiders-crawl hand-writing?
Why does their packaging remind me of Tiffany’s? Anyway, as a diecast collector the details on the Riva metal scale speedboat appeals to me. It’s very, very good craftsmanship.
The truly great brands, the one that have real heart and passion at the core of their values, are more than just a collection of livery colours, logo and strap-lines. They usually have a narrative and a story too. That is certainly true of Riva with the young Piettro’s epic endeavours to save his neighbour’s boats.
I was looking for the best Accessories for the gift to my brother and I found it in Riva Boutique…It has really a great collection of gifts.
My brother is an obsessive sailor, he spends every hour that he can on his boat. He would have loved the Riva T shirt.
I could kick myself that I’ve only just found this post. That would have made an awesome Christmas present for him. Still, there’s always his birthday.
I know that Christmas is long gone – and I’m definitely not planning next Christmas’s spending spree yet – but I just came across this post and took a look at the website. The Riva story is absolutely fascinating and a real credit to the family. Also, the online boutique may solve a few present dilemmas as the year goes on.
I like the look of that Aquamara stool. I’ve wanted bar stools in our kitchen for a while but a lot of them have quite small seats and don’t seem to be all that comfy, so I could definitely go for one with a better seat and a nicely padded back area. The models are such a sweet gifting idea for travellers, collectors or boat fans and they look really presentable and high quality, which you don’t always get with things like this.