riva yacht monaco

The Riva Lounge in Monte Carlo

Nov 06, 2020

(Part 2 of 7)

Monte Carlo, in the Principality of Monaco, is one of the few select cities where you can enjoy the flair of iconic Riva yachts  while relaxing on dry land. As discussed in Part 1 of this series, Riva Lounges and Riva Privées use exquisite details such as sparkling chrome and lacquered mahogany to evoke the emblematic 1950s style of Riva yachts and the legacy of Carlo Riva.

In Monte Carlo, the Riva Aquarama Lounge is positioned in one of the most prestigious locations within the Principality. It graces the top floor of Sir Norman Foster’s new Yacht Club de Monaco , overlooking the impressive yachts in the harbor below. The yacht club was founded by Prince Rainier III in 1953, which is about the same time that Carlo Riva took the reins of his family’s famous boat company.  Prince Ranier soon became a fan of Riva yachts, and ever since, the Riva brand and the Yacht Club de Monaco have been intertwined.

Beyond the Riva and Aquarama logos that adorn the entryway of the lounge, the interior design evokes the essence of the famous Aquarama runabout. The striped floor gives the appearance of the Aquarama’s teak decking. Even the bar contributes to the Aquarama essence, with its two ends sloping downward like the transom of an Aquarama.

In Monte Carlo, the Riva Aquarama Lounge is a favorite haunt for the international jet set. It is also a much-coveted location during the annual Formula One Monaco Grand Prix.

Watch for Part 3 of this series, which will focus on the Riva Lounge and Riva Privée located in Opatija, Croatia.

Photo of Yacht Club de Monaco is by Alexandre Prevot and used under Creative Commons license.

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September 28 - October 1 2022

Monaco Yacht Show 2022

Riva is pleased to invite you to the Monaco Yacht Show 2022 from 28 September to 1 October. Come and meet us at the Ferretti Group stand, at Jetée Lucciana / JL1.  

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Seven vintage mahogany Rivas are on display at a museum near Lake Como, one of the largest owner communities of the highly coveted brand.

Riva Yachts has created an exhibition hall for seven of its mahogany runabouts at the MBL Lake Como International Museum of Vintage Boats in Pianello del Lario, Italy. Lake Como has one of the largest owner collections of vintage Rivas in the world, followed by Lake Garda and Lake Iseo in Sarnico, home of Riva’s production facility where the mahogany boats were built until 1995. Riva’s fiberglass line is now produced in the same facility as well as in La Spezia, Italy, by the  Ferretti Group .

The 3,220-sq. foot exhibition room, designed by architect Paolo Albano and Riva’s in-house designers, uses an historical approach, proceeding from the 1930s through the brand’s “La Dolce Vita” heyday in the 1960s and ‘70s, when Riva Aquaramas, Aristons and Floridas were considered the most prestigious runabouts in the world.

They became status symbols in Monaco’s Port Hercules harbor as well as the French Riviera in Cannes and St. Tropez, as well as tony Italian and Swiss lakes. Royalty like Prince Rainier of Monaco and King Hussein of Jordan owned Rivas, while film stars like Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, Peter Sellers, Sean Connery and Rex Harrison could also be seen driving sleek, gleaming Rivas around the Med . More recent stars like George Clooney have been photographed driving an Aquarama.

The Riva exhibition room at Lake Como’s International Museum of Vintage Boats has seven mahogany Rivas on display, along with a timeline of its launches. Courtesy Riva Yachts

“Mahogany Rivas became such a prominent item not only on the French Riviera and Italy, but far beyond Europe,” HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco told  Robb Report  recently. “The Aquarama was so visible in Monaco that it became closely linked with our maritime heritage.”

Riva last year produced a book called “Riva in the Movies,” which chronicles the 50-plus movies in which a Riva boat has been used as a prop. In the U.S., Lake Tahoe has become the main gathering point for vintage Rivas, though Lake George and South Florida also have their collectors.

“The first ride was incredible. You couldn’t peel my hand off the steering wheel,” says Jeff Peterson, owner of the Aquarama  Portofino  on Lake Tahoe. Peterson says the combination of beauty, ride and comfort all make the Aquarama the iconic runabout. “The engineering is something very, very special.”

The Aquarama has become the icon of the Riva brand, with owners around the world. The Peterson family enjoy their Aquarama “Portofino” on Lake Tahoe. Courtesy Steven Lapkin/www.h2omark.com

Carlo Riva, who became one of yachting’s most famous figures, developed the brand’s most celebrated models, including multiple series of Aquaramas, Floridas, Tritones and Aristons, along with a series of large motoryachts built with Feadship’s DeVries shipyard in the Netherlands.

Carlo was preceded by his father, Serafino Riva, who was famous across Italy for building high-performance racing boats. The collection includes  HaLu , a Riva from the 1930s when Serafino still ran the family shipyard. The boat is probably one of the oldest and best-preserved vintage Rivas in the world.

At age 90, Carlo Riva was still active in the yachting industry. Carlo (right) is with his daughter Lia Riva, CEO of Monaco Boat Services, and Prince Albert II of Monaco (center) at the 2012 Riva Trophy in Monte Carlo. Courtesy Monaco Boat Service

The historical timeline also includes a series of traditional molds used to produce hulls. The display also includes the  short film called “Riva In The Movie,”  which was presented at the 77th Venice International Film Festival.

The Riva mahogany boats have become collectors’ items, with values increasing each year. A 1965 Aquarama Super, hull 175, fetched $750,000 in 2010 at Mecum auction. A year later, one of the last Aquarama Specials built, owned by Sony Corp., sold for $995,000, with bids coming from around the world.

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