The Riva family, in collaboration with Nautica Italiana, has created the Carlo Riva Award, dedicated to the memory of the Italian master of the nautical industry.
The award was given in the Gran Teatro Giacomo Puccini, Torre del Lago Puccini (Viareggio) on the occasion of the gala dinner opening the first Versilia Yachting Rendez-vous, on Thursday May 11th.
Natasha Stefanenko, Lia and Pia Riva, Lamberto Tacoli, Nautica Italiana’s president, Andrea Illy, Fondazione Altagamma’s president, and Alberto Galassi, Ferretti Group’s managing director, gave the award to Paolo Vitelli, founder and president of the Azimut Benetti Group.
“We strongly hope that the Carlo Riva award becomes a yearly, super partes and wide-ranging event to celebrate beauty, courage in innovations, creativity, talent and above all work, without which dreams don’t come true” – said Lia Riva.
“To give the Carlo Riva Award to a person of the calibre of Paolo Vitelli is a true emotion and a great honour – commented Lamberto Tacoli – He more than anyone else, since the very beginning of his career, has been able to give value and credit to the Italian nautical industry in the world.”
“To be chosen by entrepreneur colleagues makes me especially proud – said Paolo Vitelli – Life is a challenge and one should live it with taste, passion, and, hopefully, amusement. My invitation is thus to young people, that they might tackle this challenge with courage, engagement and, nowadays, a touch of positive recklessness, too. I am sure that they will have the satisfaction of living while building and creating, for their own sake and for Italy. And they will have fun.”
Starting from this first edition of the Versilia Yachting Rendez-vous, the Carlo Riva Award will be awarded once a year to leading exponents of the international nautical industry who have stood out across the years for great merits in the sector.
The award was created by Mimmo Paladino, an internationally renowned Italian artist, painter, sculptor, among the masters of the contemporary art and founder of the Transavantgarde.
