A visit to Riva 1920 was well worth the trip after a short flight to Milan and a short 45m drive to Cantu. Greeted by Maurizio the owner we had a factory tour and a visit to his museum. After our tour Maurizio invited us for lunch at his museum where we sat at a table (a single piece of kauri wood) that was at least 20+ metres long. In this space we were surrounded by wood working tools, and his collection of wood works by well know architects and designers such as Renzo Piano, Mario Botta, Piero Lissoni and many others.

Like so many precious raw materials, the recovery of ancient Kauri is no small task. The sheer size of the trunks and the treacherous environment they are located requires expert skill to safely extract these rare timbers. Once extracted, a sample of each tree is sent to the University of Auckland where it is carbon dated to between 35 to 50 thousand years old.

Untouched by decay or fossilisation, ancient Kauri is as fresh as the day it naturally fell thousands of years ago. This makes it as workable as newly cut wood and allows Riva 1920’s artisan craftsmen to fully exploit its beautiful timber. There is no doubt that Maurizio is dedicated to his passion and has made his life around wood working.