From Striscia to Oasj: Ghione's New Venture in Noale
Jimmy Ghione, known to Italian television audiences as a longtime correspondent for 'Striscia la notizia', has opened a padel club called Oasj on three hectares of land he bought in Noale, near Venice. The project is described as eco-sustainable, with a cluster of bed and breakfasts planned around the courts.
The Forbes Italia profile presents the move as the revival of an entrepreneurial instinct. Ghione grew up in a wealthy Turin construction family, but the family fortune collapsed after his father bet heavily on Saudi Arabia in the 1980s. Ghione has said his father left him three Hermès ties and nothing more, forcing him to build his own career through television and other opportunities.
The Oasj name combines 'oasis' with the J of Jimmy, he told the publication. The site aims to pair sport with short-stay tourism near Venice, though the profile does not disclose investment figures, capacity, pricing or an opening timetable for the planned accommodation.
What the Oasj Bet Shows About Celebrity-Led Leisure Projects
A celebrity brand lowers the visibility hurdle
Ghione brings 27 years of television recognition to a local leisure project. That profile can attract press coverage and first visitors in a way an unknown operator could not, which matters for a venture dependent on leisure traffic rather than a fixed local membership base.
Sport plus short stays is the actual product
Oasj is not only a padel club; it combines courts with planned B&Bs. The model appears aimed at active tourists and weekend visitors who can use Venice as a demand anchor. The location gives the project a plausible catchment area, but without disclosed numbers on demand, pricing or construction progress, the economics remain unproven.
Sustainability is currently a positioning claim
The profile calls the development eco-compatible and sustainable, but names no certification, energy standard or other verifiable operational detail. At this stage that is branding rather than proven environmental performance, and it becomes a genuine differentiator only if the completed project delivers measurable results.
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