WIZZ AIR CAFÉ & BOUTIQUE // CITY GUIDES - Kiev Apartments

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RIVA YACHT
RIVA MAY NOT BE A
household name, but one
glimpse of the sleek mahogany
hull of a Riva yacht conjures
up images of Venice, glamour
and the movies. Along with
the gondolier steering his
way along the famous canals,
the yachts are synonymous
with the city. They’ve secured
celluloid immortality thanks to
a Brigitte Bardot photoshoot
and various James Bond films.
In 2012, Riva celebrates 170
years of craft. Its evolution –
from humble boatyard origins
to timeless design icon to its
current status as a luxury
brand – comes from four
generations of hard-working
northern Italian artisans, met
by hedonism and wealth.
The Riva story begins in 1842
on the shores of Lake Iseo,
28 WIZZ MAGAZINE // DECEMBER/JANUARY 2011/12
where Pietro Riva, a young
carpenter newly arrived from
Lake Como, impressed locals
by repairing storm-damaged
fishing boats. Pietro set up a
yard renovating and building
modest rowing boats. The
business grew through his son
Ernesto who had a passion
for motorboats and tourist
jaunts on the lake. (Ernesto
died in 1907 after scaffolding
collapsed at the yard.) The
third-born son Serafino then
steered the business into leisure
boating and the motorboatracing
craze. In the 20s and
30s, Serafino filled sports
pages, racing streamlined Rivas
with engines.
Post-war production of the
mahogany beauties took off
when ambitious Carlo Riva took
the helm, opening the modern
Cantieri Riva plant. A design
genius, showman and quality
control freak, he heralded the
global luxury brand, opening
a showroom in New York
peddling yachts to sheiks and
the nouveau chic.
In the 1950s and early 60s,
Riva models such as Tritone,
Ariston, Florida and Aquarama
THE RIVA CAME OF AGE IN
THE 1950s WHEN IT WAS
ADOPTED BY BOTH SAINT-
TROPEZ AND HOLLYWOOD
were playthings of La Dolce Vita
lifestyle. The glamour and vice
captured by Fellini’s film and
tracked by the first paparazzi
spilled into the hedonism of the
late 60s Saint-Tropez society
shenanigans. A legendary
photoshoot of Brigitte Bardot
lounging around her Rivas was
splashed across the pages of