Here is a sign for different flavoured meringues (yum!). Notice how meringue is spelt in Italian. The h is included to keep the hard sound of g. Just like the u has been included in English.
Miste = mixed
1 x the bracket with 2 lines across it = 3.50 euro per 1 (or more simply 3.5 euro each).
In Italian the x sign usually means per.

Nowadays it is not so much speech you need to understand as the writing on different signs and machines. In this case it is a vending machine selling drinks and snacks.

Da' il resto means it gives back change. Note how Da has an accent. This is to distinguish it from the word da meaning from.

The instructions here are to insert the coins in the appropriate place.
inserire - insert 
la moneta - coins
nell' - into
apposito - appropriate
spazio - space or place

The instructions here are telling you to lift the lever to push in the money. But it is said in a very convoluted way.
A moneta inserita - to the inserted money
alzare la leva - lift the lever



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Italian is full of little words that seem to appear from nowhere. In this case it is nell' which is a contraction of in and l'.
nell'apposito spazio = in l'apposito spazio
nella borsa = in la borsa
nel negozio = in il negozio
nello stadio = in lo stadio
negli alberghi = in gli alberghi
nei negozi = in i negozi
nelle strade = in le strade
You see this pattern recurring throughout Italian. It is quite straightforward once you get the hang of it.

This year we used Malpensa airport in Milan. It was quite easy to get there from Tremezzo. First a bus to the bus station in Como. Then a 2-minute walk to the Como Lago railway station. We took the Milan Cardorna train changing at Saronno to catch the Malpensa Express.

uscita = exit. The opposite is either entrata or ingresso.  
piazza = square
sottopassaggio = underpass
ai binari = to platforms 2-3-4-5-6
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ai is a contraction (squeezing together) of a (to) and i (the).
binario is a platform. Notice how the plural has only one final i instead of binarii (which you might expect given the rule of the final 'o' becoming 'i' in the plural).

Binary with its meaning of 'two' really refers to the tracks in Italian as you can see from this common sign forbidding people to cross the track (which they frequently do).
vietato attraversare i binari

A sosta is a pause or break. In this context it means 'stopping'
Divieto di sosta = no stopping
Solo = only
Salita e discesa = Getting on and getting off
passeggeri = passengers
In other words, coaches can only stop to let passengers on and off.
The translation on the sign implies a great scooping up and offloading of people.
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Discesa is pronounced something like dee-shay-za (with the stress on shay). The combination of the letters sc gives a sh sound in Italian.
pesce (fish) pronounced pay-shay
biscia (snake) pronounced bee-sha

Not a bike-friendly gate! 
Vietato = Forbidden
appoggiare = to lean
biciclette = bicycles

Nor a bum-friendly one either!
Vietato = Forbidden
sedersi = to sit (it is a reflexive verb so has -si on the end)
sul muretto = on the wall 
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il muro is a wall. The ending -etto tells you that it is a small or low wall.
una birra = beer, una birretta is a small beer.

This is a sign from the post office in Tremezzo. It is warning customers that it will be closed (restera' chiuso) on 22, 24 and 26 July (luglio).

The nearest (piu' vicino) open (aperto) post office is: Menaggio

con orario (with the hours): Monday to Friday (lunedi'-venerdi') from (dalle) 8:20 to (alle) 13:45, Saturday (sabato) from 8:20 to 12:45.

Ci scusiamo per il disagio (We apologise for the inconvenience)
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Che ore sono? - what time is it? (or literally 'what are the hours?). That is why you have da le ore = dalle ore and a le ore = alle ore. With ore often left out - dalle due alle quattro (from 2 to 4 o'clock)

Scala Mobile (literally moving stair) Escalator is momentarily non usable. We apologise for the inconvenience (Ci scusiamo per il disagio). Notice how many words are quite close to English. This is in the Underground (la Metropolitana) in Milan

When you buy a train ticket in Italy, first you have to endure queuing at the pace of a lumaca (snail). Once you have managed to pay for a ticket, you must make sure to validate it by getting it stamped with one of the practically invisible yellow boxes which are found on or near the platforms. Woe betide you if you forget to do this. An officious ticket collector will fine you something like 50 euros. Unless you are young and pretty. Then you might stand a chance of avoiding a fine.
This ticket is for 3 adults and 1 child (ragazzo plural ragazzi). Unstamped it is valid for 2 months. Once it has been stamped it is only valid for the next 6 hours.
But the good thing about travelling by train in Italy (if you can avoid queues/officious ticket collectors) is that it is very cheap and trains are generally on time.

You might see this sign and wonder if dalle is a very important word. It isn't really but you might think it is. It just means 'from' as in da le ore (from the hours). When da is followed by le it combines to become dalle.  With la it becomes dalla. With il it becomes dal. With lo it becomes dallo. With i it becomes dai and with gli it becomes dagli. Confusing or what. But once you know about these options, signs become much easier to read.
And if you are wondering, you need to buy a ticket between 9am and 7pm.

You wouldn't think bus stops could be so interesting. Here is a typical bus stop on Lake Como. Fermata means Bus Stop. Actually it means A Stop. C10 is the number of the service and it tells you the towns the bus stops at. Below is the bus timetable. On the opposite side of the road you'll generally find the bus stop for the other direction. Sometimes it might not be very obvious.
On the lake (and I suspect in many places in Italy), you have to purchase your bus ticket before you get on. They are usually sold in a bar or shop near the bus stop. This can be most annoying if it is a shop as they are generally shut between 12.30 and 3.30. So you have to be prepared in advance.
On the word Fermata. It comes from the verb fermare (to stop). You can fermare a bus but if the bus is stopping then it is fermarsi (a reflexive verb - one where the action is being done by the bus itself). La corriera si ferma in Piazza Cavour (The bus stops in Piazza Cavour).