Green Giant vs Italian Cypress

We're looking for a decorative columnar arborvitae or cypress to accent the front of our house. We are trying to create an Italian look and would love to have tall, full Italian cypresses off each corner of the house. But when I look at 8 ft Italian cypress they look so scrawny and thin in the nursery, I wonder how many years it would take to have them anywhere close to what I'm dreaming of. Also, here in Columbia I've seen some Italian cypresses that have grown very tall but look scraggly, maybe from disease, maybe from poor feeding and watering.
I've seen very tall and slightly wider Green Giants that seem to grow more robustly in this humid climate and am considering getting two of them, also about 8 ft, and doing a little trimming to keep them from growing too wide at the bottom. I want columnar, not pyramidal. This picture of the thuja green giant seems to be the shape and look we want.

What advice can any of you Carolina gardeners offer?
--Don

Hi Dorothy here
100% italian and my maiden name was Lombardo --so I couldn't resist this :

http://www.cdr3.com/lombardy/

and another

The trees you posted look very tall - but are these poplar trees more than you want? If you like the look, might they be kept trimmed to your needs? Great luck in your search.

Poplars are not the look I want for this kind of tree; they are disciduous leafy trees and I want an evergreen conifer that has dense growth. My man at Cooper's Nursery thinks I'll be happier with the Thuja Green Giant, which grows fast and likes the hot humid climate we have here. I'll give them a try but I worry they will be wider than I want. If only I could get a couple of those 50 year old cypresses you see in Italy in front of my house!