L’ape torna all’alveare con calma, mentre noi restiamo lontani.

Because in Italian, the feminine singular definite article la usually drops its final vowel before a word beginning with a vowel.

• la ape → l’ape
• This is called elision

So L’ape simply means the bee.

The apostrophe shows that a vowel has been omitted.

Here:

• la
  • ape
• becomes l’ape

Italian does this very often with articles before vowels, for smoother pronunciation.

Examples:

• l’amico = the friend
• l’isola = the island
• l’ape = the bee

Torna is the third-person singular present tense of tornare.

It matches l’ape, which is singular:

• io torno = I return
• tu torni = you return
• lui/lei torna = he/she returns

So L’ape torna means the bee returns.

The present tense here can describe:

• a general action
• a habitual action
• a vivid scene happening now

All’alveare is made from:

• a = to
• l’ = the
• alveare = beehive

So:

• a + l’alveare → all’alveare

This is a normal contraction in Italian.
It means to the beehive.

Similar examples:

• al parco = to the park
• alla casa = to the house
• all’aeroporto = to the airport

Because alveare begins with a vowel, and the masculine singular definite article il becomes l’ before vowels.

So:

• il alveare ✘
• l’alveare ✔

After the preposition a, this becomes:

• a + l’alveare = all’alveare

Literally, con calma means with calm.
In natural English, it usually means:

• calmly
• slowly
• without rushing

It is a very common Italian expression.

So torna all’alveare con calma suggests the bee returns in a calm, unhurried way.

Yes. Italian could also use an adverb such as calmamente.

But con calma is very common and often sounds more natural in everyday language.

Compare:

• torna con calma = returns calmly / in an unhurried way
• torna calmamente = returns calmly

Both are correct, but con calma is especially common in spoken Italian.

Mentre means while.

It links two actions happening at the same time:

• L’ape torna all’alveare con calma
• mentre noi restiamo lontani

So the sentence is setting up a contrast or parallel:

• the bee returns calmly
• while we stay far away

Mentre is often used exactly like English while.

Yes, it could be omitted.

Italian often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject:

• restiamo already means we stay / we remain

So noi restiamo lontani and restiamo lontani are both grammatical.

But noi is included here for emphasis or contrast:

• the bee does one thing,
• we do another.

So noi makes the contrast stronger.

Restiamo is the first-person plural present tense of restare.

Conjugation:

• io resto
• tu resti
• noi restiamo

It means:

• we stay
• we remain

In this sentence, restiamo lontani means we stay far away or we remain at a distance.

Because lontani is an adjective agreeing with noi.

Since noi is plural, the adjective must also be plural.

• singular masculine: lontano
• singular feminine: lontana
• plural masculine: lontani
• plural feminine: lontane

With noi, Italian often uses the masculine plural as the default form when:

• the group is mixed
• the gender is unspecified

So noi restiamo lontani is the normal form.

Yes, if the speakers are an all-female group.

• noi restiamo lontane = we stay far away, spoken by women only
• noi restiamo lontani = masculine plural, or mixed/unspecified group

Italian adjectives must agree with the people they describe.

Yes. Restare lontani is a very natural way to say:

• stay far away
• keep away
• remain at a distance

It can refer to:

• physical distance
• emotional distance
• avoiding danger

In this sentence, it most likely refers to physical distance.

Italian word order is fairly flexible, but this order is very natural.

Here it goes:

• verb: torna
• destination: all’alveare
• manner: con calma

This is a common pattern: verb + place/direction + manner

Other orders are possible for emphasis, but the original version sounds neutral and natural.

Yes. Tornare can mean:

• to return
• to come back
• sometimes to go back, depending on context

So L’ape torna all’alveare could be understood as:

• the bee returns to the hive
• the bee goes back to the hive
• the bee comes back to the hive

English chooses among these more narrowly than Italian sometimes does.

Yes. Alveare is the standard word for beehive or hive.

It is a masculine noun:

• l’alveare = the beehive
• un alveare = a beehive

So all’alveare means to the beehive / to the hive.

The sentence combines several very common Italian features:

• elision: l’ape
• preposition + article contraction: all’alveare
• present tense verbs: torna, restiamo
• subject pronoun for emphasis: noi
• adjective agreement: lontani
• linking simultaneous actions with mentre

So it is a great example of natural, everyday Italian structure.