Riva's historical archive has collected a priceless wealth of documents, films, photographs and objects that recount an important chapter in the history of the world leisure craft industry unveiling, in a unique and inimitable way over 160 years' of history of one of the oldest boat yards in the world.

Perfectly preserved and catalogued, through careful and painstaking work according to the highest European standards for this type of activity, Riva's Historical Archive is divided into four main groups: images, films, documents and objects that, in turn, include photographs, negatives, slides, black and white and colour prints, 16 and 35 mm films (some silent and some with a soundtrack), projects, original drawings, catalogues, price lists, promotional material and posters as well as a collection of historical objects including boat accessories and furnishing that nowadays have become true cult objects for all those who love style, design and "industrial art".
It is the only archive of its kind in the world, a treasure in continuous growth that benefits, on the one hand, from new and precious contributions from Riva's research and development team - aimed mainly at reconstructing

 

historical events, restoring materials kept inside and outside the yard and collecting the most precious testimonies of those personalities that have helped establish Riva throughout the world and, on the other, from numerous private funds, amongst which those of Mr Riva himself, Mr. Barilani - the well-known Riva's architect, Mauro Micheli - designer of all Riva 33 to 115 feet boats currently in production, Andrea Fustinoni - through his hospitality rich in emotions and memories at the Grand Hotel Miramare in Santa Margherita Ligure, and Norberto Ferretti, Riva and the Ferrettigroup's chairman, that, was the first to provide the Riva archive with precious unpublished materials.

The first digitalized images are now available on-line including, amongst other things, a complete version of the photographic exhibition of the Riva's Historical Archive presentation, an anthology of charming stories about the sea and Riva, a series of books dedicated to the history, style, design and charm of Riva's meetings, a collection of the drawings and sketches of the most famous Riva boats and, a preview of a series of images of the Gervasoni collection, the most complete collection of Riva boats in the world.