Make your Italian learning experience as immersive as possible. Don't just rely on learning the language from books; create opportunities to speak Italian on a regular basis, and listen to Italian conversations, broadcasts and music. Read Italian newspapers regularly, and browse Italian websites to see how much you can understand before automatically translating the site. Use online language tools to translate your favorite English-language websites into Italian to master new vocabulary.
To improve your pronunciation of Italian words, and to understand idiomatic contemporary Italian speech, conversation with a native speaker of the language is a must. Find out whether any Italian conversation groups meet regularly in your area, as these provide opportunities for regular practice with native Italian speakers. If you live near a large university, you may find an Italian foreign student who can give you individual tutoring for a low hourly rate.
Movies provide an excellent opportunity to increase your Italian vocabulary and comprehension. Watch movies in the original Italian language. Italy has a strong culture and history of film-making, and there are many Italian-language movies available in the U.S. Initially, watch the movies in Italian but with English subtitles to help you understand the Italian dialog. As your language skills and knowledge progress, graduate to watching Italian movies with the subtitles turned off. Also, you can watch English-language movies with Italian subtitles or overdubbing to reinforce your vocabulary within a familiar context.