Roldano the dog is the subject of a work painted by Aurelio Lomi, an artist from Pisa working in Genoa between 1597 and 1604, in which an elegant page is engaged in grooming the animal with a silver brush. The dog, a traditional symbol of loyalty, takes on great symbolic value in this painting. Roldano was given to Giovanni Andrea I by King Philip II in recognition of the Dorias’ loyalty to the Spanish crown. After his death, the Molossian hound was buried with great honour in the north garden of the Villa, no longer in existence.

At just seven years old, following the death of his father Giannettino, Giovanni Andrea I was named by Andrea Doria as his direct successor. In this portrait, painted between the late 16th and early 17th century, the Prince's heir is depicted at the age of about sixty, in the dress of the Knights of the Order of Saint James of the Sword. Behind him can be seen galleys engaged in battle, a clear reference to his rank of “general of the sea” for the king of Spain. In the foreground there is his Molossian hound Roldano, a gift from King Philip II in attestation of the Dorias’ loyalty to the Spanish crown. The portrait is probably the work of Alessandro Vaiani, a Florentine artist working in Genoa at the end of the 17th century, and originally belonged to the painting collection of the great collector Gio Carlo Doria.

The walls of the Salone del Naufragio at the Villa del Principe are decorated with six large tapestries depicting events relating to the Battle of Lepanto, the most important military event of the 16th century. In May of the year 1571, Pope Pius V established the Holy League, uniting the rival powers of Genoa and Venice, the Spain of Philip II and numerous lesser powers. The Holy League declared war on the Turks, and on 7 October 1571 fought them in the epic Battle of Lepanto, which saw the Christian fleet triumph over that of the Turks. The tapestry cycle was commissioned by Andrea’s nephew and successor, Giovanni Andrea I, who participated in the battle. The preparatory drawings for the tapestries were made by painters Luca Cambiaso and Lazzaro Calvi. Each tapestry in the series depicts a scene from the battle, from the departure of the Holy League for Lepanto up until the return of the victorious fleet to Corfu.

Andrea Doria was immortalised in the role of Neptune by Bronzino, who painted the portrait for the collection of portraits of illustrious men owned by Paolo Giovio, a prominent cultural figure of the 16th century. While the painting made for Giovio is now housed in the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, there is a second version which can be seen in the Sala di Perseo. This portrait, depicting Andrea Doria as the god of the sea, was also painted by Bronzino, probably between 1545 and 1546. In the painting, Doria, depicted in heroic nudity and partly inspired by Michelangelo’s David, is leaning against the mast of a ship and he is grasping an oar in his right hand. The face has an idealised appearance compared to Andrea Doria's true features, with the long wavy beard traditionally attributed to Neptune.  

The five vaults covering the Loggia degli Eroi are a series of octagons surrounded by exquisite stucco work in lime and marble powder, inspired by the examples of the Vatican Loggias and those at the Villa Madama in Rome. The vaults bear depictions of patriotic episodes in Roman history, including Orazio Coclite sul ponte Sublicio (Horatius Cocles holding the Pons Sublicius) and Marco Curzio che si getta nella voragine (Marcus Curtius leaping into the chasm).
The Roman episodes on the vaults echo the depiction as saviours of the nation of twelve of Andrea Doria's ancestors, frescoed on the north wall of the Loggia degli Eroi.

Andrea Doria was the subject of a celebrated portrait painted on wood by Sebastiano del Piombo at the behest of Pope Clement VII in 1526, when Doria became commander in chief of the papal fleet. Andrea is depicted at the age of sixty, in an austere black robe, wearing his admiral's hat. In keeping with the Venetian fashion of including a parapet under the image of the subject, below the figure there is an antique frieze depicting six naval emblems, taken from a marble decoration of the 1st century BC currently housed in the Capitoline Museum in Rome. These emblems most likely refer to the six galleys provided to him by the Pope.

The Salone dei Giganti in Villa del Principe houses two large tapestries depicting the Histories of Alexander the Great. Experts consider these two panels to be among the most important tapestries of the fifteenth century. Woven with threads of gold, silver, silk and wool, they were made around 1460 in Tournai, in the Duchy of Burgundy. The two tapestries, measuring just under forty square metres each, depict various episodes in the life and legend of Alexander the Great, considered at the time to be a model of political and moral virtue. The first tapestry depicts scenes from the hero's youth. The second tapestry shows a similar interweaving of historical and legendary elements and the Burgundy of the 15th century is reflected in the garments, weapons and style of architecture.

The fresco decorating the vault of the Salone dei Giganti was painted by Perin del Vaga, an artist who played a key role in the Palazzo’s entire decorative scheme. The fresco portrays Giove che folgora i Giganti ribelli (Jupiter striking the rebel Giants with Lightning). According to the Greek myth as told by Homer, Hesiod and Apollodorus, the Giants, born from drops of Uranus’ blood fallen to the earth, attacked the Olympus with the intention of overthrowing the gods. The ferocious struggle that followed, known as the “Gigantomachy”, was won by the gods, led by Jupiter. The fresco depicts Jupiter in the act of casting lightning bolts on the Giants, surrounded by the ranks of the gods of Olympus. Sources of the time suggest that the triumph of Jupiter over the Giants is to be interpreted as an allegory of the triumph of Emperor Charles V over his enemies, particularly the Turks and the Protestants.

In the fresco, Perin del Vaga pays homage to the great masters he met in Rome, including Raphael, Michelangelo and Rosso Fiorentino.