Volta la testa.

Here, volta is the informal singular imperative of voltare, meaning to turn.

So Volta la testa means Turn your head.

Be careful: volta can also be a noun in other contexts, meaning things like time, occasion, or turn, as in una volta. But in this sentence, it is definitely a verb.

Because voltare is the infinitive, meaning to turn.

In a command to one person you usually use the tu imperative. For many -are verbs, that form ends in -a:

• parlare → parla
• guardare → guarda
• voltare → volta

So:

• voltare = to turn
• volta = turn! (said to one person informally)

Yes, it is talking to you in the informal singular sense.

Italian usually does not include subject pronouns unless they are needed for emphasis or contrast. The verb form already shows who the command is directed to.

So Italian says:

• Volta la testa.

not usually:

• Tu volta la testa.

Adding tu would sound emphatic, like You turn your head.

Italian very often uses the definite article with body parts where English uses a possessive adjective.

So Italian commonly says:

• Alza la mano = Raise your hand
• Chiudi gli occhi = Close your eyes
• Volta la testa = Turn your head

The idea of your is understood from the context.

Grammatically, yes, but it is usually less natural in a normal situation.

La tua testa sounds more emphatic or contrastive, as if you were distinguishing it from someone else’s head:

• Volta la tua testa, non la mia.

In ordinary instructions, Italian normally prefers:

• Volta la testa

Here la is the definite article, meaning the.

You can tell because it comes directly before the noun testa:

• la testa = the head

It is not the object pronoun here.

Yes, both testa and capo can mean head, but they are not always used in the same way.

• testa is the most common everyday word for the physical head
• capo can also mean head, but it often appears in idioms or more specific expressions, and it also has other meanings like boss or leader

In a simple instruction like this, testa is very natural.

Yes. Gira la testa is also very natural and often very common in everyday Italian.

Both girare and voltare can be used for turning something, though usage can vary by region and context. In many situations:

• Gira la testa = turn your head
• Volta la testa = turn your head

Both are understandable and idiomatic.

It is a command to one person, using the informal tu form.

Other versions would be:

• Volta la testa = turn your head (to one person, informal)
• Voltate la testa = turn your head (to more than one person)
• Volti la testa = turn your head (formal, to one person)

For the informal tu form, Italian uses non + infinitive:

• Non voltare la testa = Don’t turn your head

That is a very common pattern:

• Non parlare = Don’t speak
• Non guardare = Don’t look
• Non voltare la testa = Don’t turn your head

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• VOL-ta la TES-ta

The stress falls on:

• VOL in volta
• TES in testa

Approximate English-style pronunciation:

• VOL-tah lah TESS-tah

No, La testa volta is not the normal way to say this.

In a basic command, Italian usually keeps the verb first:

• Volta la testa

That is the natural order for an instruction: verb + object.

It can, depending on tone and context.

By itself, Volta la testa is just a direct instruction. It could sound perfectly normal in contexts like:

• a doctor examining a patient
• a photographer giving directions
• someone warning another person

But if you want to sound softer or more polite, you might add words like:

• Per favore, volta la testa. = Please turn your head.
• Puoi voltare la testa? = Can you turn your head?

So the sentence itself is not automatically rude; tone and situation matter.