DIY Removing rotten ceilings to reveal a beautiful new roof

Oh dear - eat my heart out - we don't have joiners capable of doing such a nice roof here in my bit of Tuscany! But it is horses for courses, and (where I am) using timber (rather than bricks) between the rafters doesn't happen - it's a tradition where there is timber available locally, and I suppose this means you get craftsmen accustomed to doing 'proper' joinery when they see wood. Rejoice (and use the same workmen for anything else involving wood). I don't understand why you are describing that internal timber lintel as 'Tuscan', and being nervous about it as 'untypical' for Liguria. I bet you can find many identical lintels in Liguria (only that most of the books about Italian interiors are written by Tuscany based people!) If you like that aesthetic (attractive IMO) I can see absolutely no reason why any architect should dissuade you from it on the basis of your region - and if you have just made this reluctance to use timber lintels yourself, then I think you are mistaken. Make a careful study of internal doors, and the way you hang them (whether they use a timber frame or not) because using timber lintels over 'conventionally' framed modern doors does look pretty daft. The mega trad way of hanging a door into masonry under a timber lintel is just about undraughtproofable - but if this isn't a consideratiion it is certainly (IMO) the best minimalist/trad solution.

Thanks for all the input! Yes the particular guys who did my roof are really top-notch. 

Thanks for all the input! Yes the particular guys who did my roof are really top-notch.