The painted decoration of the walls surrounding the garden is very poorly conserved, while the stuccoes are in better condition.

Originally, the right-hand side wall of the loggia and the one in front were painted with false perspectives, of which very few traces now remain.

The frieze with herms and alcoves on the upper walls is, instead, still conserved: the alcoves alternate stucco decoration with paintings of scenes from Aesop’s fables.

Here too the frescoes are in poor condition or no longer existent, while the stuccoes are fairly well preserved. The bas-relief with the tomb of a small long-haired dog in the middle of the wall above the loggia can be related to Federico II’s wish for a monument by Giulio to commemorate his favourite dog; it also explains the animal theme.

The lower corners of the alcoves contain Gonzaga devices. The decoration of the garden can be dated 1531 circa and the style of the stucco work makes it ascribable to Giovanni Battista Mantovano.

Parte sud/South wall
L'asino e il cane The donkey and the dog	Monumento ad un cane Monument to a dog
Il leone e il topo? The lion and the mouse?

Parte ovest/West wall
La volpe e il corvo The fox and the crow	La volpe e la cicogna The fox and the stork
Il cavallo e il leone The horse and the lion	La mosca e l'uomo calvo The fly and the bald man

Parte nord/North wall
Il cane che portava la carne in bocca The dog that carried the meat in its mouth	Il lupo e la testa scolpita The wolf and the sculpted head
Il leone e il pastore The lion and the sheperd	Il pastore e il lupo The sheperd and the wolf