In construction history, timber has been one of the most essential materials for thousands of years. Both Italy and China have mature traditions of wood construction, especially in roof construction such as the Italian truss system (Capriata) and the Chinese bracket system (Dougong). This thesis summarises the existing studies of historic roof construction in the Mediterranean area (especially Italy) and in China. The thesis further aims to figure out what common design issues could be at play and how each country has solved them over time. Based on the previous research, it can be proved that the use of timber construction in Italy and China has both similarities and differences.