Question about terrain in Central Italy/Samnium (Samnite Wars)

[guitarheroandy]

Ok, so I'm painting up early Republican Romans and will be doing Samnites to oppose them (for Clash of Spears) and I was wondering what colours you all think would be best for the bases assuming we're fighting in campaign season in central Italy - normally I use sand painted over with Foundry Peaty Brown Shade and dry brushed with GW Screaming skull, with various grassy tufts added but that's quite a dark 'Western Europe' kind of effect, which I'm not sure is right. What would you use?

I'm also considering buying a 6 x 4 gaming mat for it. The typical grassy ones look too 'green' and the arid ones look too 'desert' - maybe I need more of a 'steppe' effect (slightly more arid grass) which might be more appropriate? For example:
https://www.waylandgames.co.uk/steppe/26343-4ft-x-6ft-steppe-theme-cloth-games-mat?search_query=steppe&results=119

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[A Lot of Gaul]

A picture is worth a thousand words:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=central+Italy+landscape&t=osx&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

[markw]

Sounds like you have it covered with what you are currently using.

[guitarheroandy]

Thanks, guys...especially for the pics link - dunno why I didn't do that myself! . 
It is greener than I imagined... Logical I suppose, as much of it must be decent farming land to make it worth fighting over!! Dunno why I thought it would be more arid...
I still think I might go for a slightly lighter base colour as Peaty Brown Shade is pretty dark... Perhaps something like the GW Steel Legion Drab dry brushed with the Screaming skull...

[Arrigo]

Central Italy is quite green, the arid areas tend to be in Sicily and Calabria (and depends on the season and year, and altitude).  Probably in ancient times the area was even greener because it was more intensely cultivated than now. Worth to remember that Tuscany is central Italy, as Latium and people from the other side of the channel go there for holidays... 

One thing you can see around are craggy hills (often site of pre-roman settlements) that looked a little more arid.

[guitarheroandy]

One thing you can see around are craggy hills (often site of pre-roman settlements) that looked a little more arid.

Yeah I have quite a lot of rocky outcrops in my collection so they'll come in handy...