To the southwest are the craters Hartwig and Schlüter that lie on the northeastern edge of Montes Cordillera, a ring-shaped range that surrounds Mare Orientale.

Due to its location, Riccioli appears strongly foreshortened from the earth and is viewed almost from the side.

A system of rilles named the Rimae Riccioli lies across the interior, and crosscut the ejecta ridges.

The crater is named after Giovanni Battista Riccioli, an Italian Jesuit astronomer who introduced the system of lunar nomenclature that is still in use today.

[citation needed] By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater midpoint that is closest to Riccioli.