Help with itinerary

Looks sweet. Lucca to Manarola is by regional train, changing at La Spezia and possibly Pisa.
Best bet to Sardinia is from Livorno, Easy train connection with a change in La spezia and possibly Pisa.
http://www.mobylines.com/
My friend in Lucca says Sardinia has the best beaches in Italy.
Sardinia to Rome can be by ferry to Civitavecchia then train to Rome. Or fly.

Thank you very much Sam for your quick reply. I will check it out.
Jody

Jody
What time of year? Sardegna is definitely a warm-weather location. I love a week in the Cinque Terre! Good for you. Again, seasonally dependent, April through October at best. I think a week is a long time in Bologna unless you plan lots of day trips. Portofino is easily visited while you are in Manarola. Train to Santa Margherita and ferry, bus, or hike to Portofino.

jody,

I wouldn't bother staying in Portofino, as there's not a lot to do there. As Laurel mentoned, it's easily seen as a day trip from Manarola. You can research each of your rail trips on the Trenitalia website.

For travel to Sardinia, I'd consider either a Ferry or flight, depending on where you're going on the island, your budget and how much time you want to spend on the trip. If you plan to start in Cagliari, there are frequent one hour flights from Rome. easyJet appears to have one flight per day from Milan / MXP to Caligiari, and there may also be flights from Pisa, Genoa or other airports. Look at all the options to see what works best for you.

Thank you Laurel and Ken.

I will be going soon - in May. In Sardinia, thought I would go from Olbia, to Sassari, Stintino, Alghero i.e. just the northern part of the island. Any comments, suggestions? Best connections? Best places to stay awhile there?

Should I stay in Padua after leaving Venice or day-trip it from Bologna or elsewhere. Wont have the time to day trip it from Venice.

Have I missed any places people think are lovely and must sees?

Best wishes,
Jody

I applaud your giving these places time! From Bologna, you can easily daytrip to Ravenna, Parma, Modena. I would spend some time in Padova, it's a lovely city. If you have time for a daytrip from there, I suggest Ferrara.

Enjoy your trip!

Thank you Zoe.
It was suggested to me that I visit Urbino and Ascoli Piceno. In terms of train connections, would it make more sense to do this straight after Venice, and then from Urbino/Pesaro or Ascoli Piceno go to Bologna or the other way around?

Thanks
Jody