The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence

Having visited northern Italy and southern Switzerland, I realized that in some parts of northern Italy, most traffic signs and boards are in German, while in southern Switzerland most of them are in Italian. I have no idea about its underlying reasons, but it seems to me that the people in southern Switzerland have a tendency to associate themselves with Italian culture of the other side of the border, while northern Italians want themselves to be associated with German culture (and not the Italian culture that their southern Swiss counterparts in their proximity want to be associated with). By and large, no matter where you are and how your economic and financial situation is, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
(Photo Courtesy: Wiktionary.org)