Welcome to the site of the Fidecommesso Riva

The Fidecommesso Riva of Lugano (Switzerland)

The Fidecommesso Riva, an institution similar to a family foundation, was founded in Lugano on the 8th of July, 1675, by Antonio Riva (1618 – 1678), patrician of Lugano, who conferred it various properties and financial assets. His descendants, Giovan Battista (1646 – 1729) and Francesco Saverio (1702 – 1783) also transferred assets to it.

Its purpose was to contribute to the educational and wedding expenses of their legitimate descendants of paternal lineage, both male and female. The Fidecommesso Riva  still exists and is active, even though its income dropped in the course of the centuries (see Contacts).

In 2021 the Fidecommesso Riva assumed the legal form of a family foundation in accordance with Swiss law.

Information

For more information about the family Riva of Lugano, please refer to the following publications, which can be consulted at the main Swiss and foreign public libraries:

– Riva Alfonso and Waldo, Storia della Famiglia Riva, vol. I. and II., Lugano, 1971
– Riva Aldo, Storia della Famiglia Riva, vol. III., Lugano, 1993
– Cavadini Adriano, Sulle onde dei ricordi, Lugano, 2002

These books also contain an extensive family tree.