Qualifying adjectives in Italian

Qualifying adjectives (aggettivi qualificativi) express a quality or a feature -positive, negative or neutral - of the noun they refer to.

Order of qualifying adjectives in Italian

Italian adjectives can precede or follow the noun they describe.

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Before the noun

In this position, the adjective has a "describing" function.
It adds a quality to the noun that can be well-known or obvious to all.

After the noun

In this position, the adjective has a "distinctive" function.
It conveys new information about the noun.

Pro-tip: qualifying adjectives indicating colours and nationalities always follow the noun! 

Different meaning according to position

In some particular cases, the placement of the adjective changes the meaning of the sentence.

Attributive and predicative adjectives in Italian

In Italian, adjectives can have an attributive or a predicative function.

Attributive function

In this case, the adjective goes with the noun as a simple attribute. It qualifies the element without the aim of distinguishing it from another one.
The adjective in this case usually precedes the noun it refers to.

Io abito in un grande palazzo
I live in a big building

Predicative function

The adjective is used to distinguish an element from another.
According to this function, the adjective usually follows the noun it refers to. It also follows the verb "to be" or another copulative verb.

Questa è una strada sicura / Questa strada è sicura
This is a safe street / This street is safe
 

 Switching from the attributive function (adjective before verb) to the predicative function (adjective after verb), the meaning intended can change completely:
pover'uomo (sfortunato)  vs. uomo povero (privo di mezzi)
unlucky man  vs. man with little economical means
 

Irregular qualifying adjectives in Italian

Some Italian adjectives have irregular forms if they precede the noun.

Adjective buono

Buono (good) becomes buon when it precedes any singular and masculine noun starting with a vowel or requiring the articles il and un.

Adjective bello

Bello (nice, pretty) resembles the corresponding definite article in its form.

Adjective grande

Grande (big, large) can become gran in front of masculine singular nouns starting with a vowel or requiring the articles il and un.

Adjective Santo

Santo (Saint) becomes San before masculine names beginning with consonant

Both Santo and Santa becomes Sant' before names beginning with a vowel.