Rome to Desenzano/Lake Garda

Jo, the City Center in Florence is level. If she's an art lover that might be good for a couple of days.

Will she require lodgings with elevators? That might limit your choices.

that's a good points. Our first thought was fly into Naples and take the bus to Sorrento for 3 nts, bus to Rome another 3nts, direct train to Assisi 3nts and on the Florence 3nt. Sounded so good, I do have small apt held in each city that I can cancel no charge. Now that I realize her true condition as much as she thinks she can I feel its time to reconsider.

Sorrento, Rome and Florence would be fine
Assisi not so easy! But there is a bus that will get you from Basilica end of town to top
However even the downhill walk there is difficult

maybe I was pushing it. As far as Assisi I was thinking along the same line. After taking the train up we have a place in the center of town. When ready we could take the bus down to see the Church of St Frances. Wonder if there are cabs to take from the bus stop at the top of the hill or do we walk to the apt?

In 2015, we stayed in Verona and took the train to Desenzano, and, since we missed the bus, we walked to Sirmione.

We were there at the beginning of May, and the ferries weren't running on their summer schedule yet, so service was very limited and didn't fit with our schedule at all.

You might consider Verona - it's a very nice place to be with a lot to see within walking distance on level ground.

Jo-
As we age my husband and I are finding that our mobility is becoming compromised a bit so we have started compiling a list of places to visit in Italy that won't require so much steep walking.
Have not been to all of these places but here are some ideas:

Verona, Bologna, Padova- you can base in any of these 3 and easily visit the others by train (1-1.5 hr)
Lucca- visit Pisa, Florence
Orvieto as a stop between Rome and Florence- hill town but looks like the center is mostly flat- take a cab from train or ride funicular up
Salerno- we enjoyed- ferry rides along Amalfi, train to Paestum, lovely waterfront and good restaurants

Milan is also flat and could be your departure point

Thanks everyone, I know we're all looking forward to traveling again

Oh, Padova is a great choice. We spent several days there a few years ago. Perfectly flat and we never ran out of things to do. And it's an easy bus or train ride from Venice.

But Venice is hard for mobility challenged people.

As far as Assisi I was thinking along the same line. After taking the train up we have a place in the center of town. When ready we could take the bus down to see the Church of St Frances. Wonder if there are cabs to take from the bus stop at the top of the hill or do we walk to the apt?

Cabs are plentiful in Assisi. Buses not bad, either. The cab may not be able to go on your exact street, so ask the proprietor of teh apartment where the nearest taxi stand is.

Hi Jo, you can take a non-stop train from Rome to Naples (1h 15m) and explore the Spanish Quarter. The same with Orvieto. Florence is 1h 45m from Rome and if you go to Florence, be sure to sleep here a minimum of four nights and include a day trip to Siena.
I would then take a direct train to Milan (2h). Instead of going to Lake Garda, I would take a day trip to Varenna (1h 15m) on Lake Como. I agree with Christine about making Milan your departure point.

Jo,

Given the fact that your friend has difficulty walking, I'm not sure that Lake Garda is the best choice. With only a very short 12 nights in Italy, I'd suggest a more focused trip. For example, would something like this work.....

• Fly inbound to Rome / FCO - 3 nights - take Taxi or Leonardo Express / Taxi to your hotel. As there are two of you, a Taxi might be the best option. Although visits to Rome normally involve a lot of walking, you can minimize that by using one of the transportation passes and using Metro or Buses as much as possible. I also find that the Hop On / Hopo Off bus tours are a great way to not only take a load off my feet but also get an overview of the main sights.
• High speed train from Rome to Florence (about 90 minutes) - 4 nights? - Florence is relatively flat so quite walkable but you'll probably want to "pace yourselves" a bit by stopping for a coffee or whatever to rest. There are some great sights there and you may want to refer to the RS Italy guidebook to plan your touring.
• High speed train from Florence to Milan and then to Stresa on Lake Maggiore - 3 nights? - the train station in Stresa is located slightly uphill from the main part of town, but you can take a Taxi as the trip is only a few minutes. If you choose a hotel along the waterfront, you'll not only have a great view but also an easy level walk around the main part of town and to the boat dock. You can take a short ferry ride to the beautiful and elegant Borromeo Islands or if you're more adventurous take a day trip to Locarno, Switzerland (both ways by boat or boat one way and rail the other). There's also the cable car up to Mt. Mottarone.
• Train back to Milan - 2 nights? - This will allow you a short time to tour some of the sights there.
• Fly outbound from Milan / MXP to your home area.

There are all kinds of possibilities and these are only a few suggestions. Good luck with your planning!

Ken, That does sound very possible because we have plenty of time, thanks for the suggestions.