Ford invited me on a press trip to visit their exhibition at Salone del Mobile, the world’s largest furniture trade show. Obviously I said yes, because it sounded really exciting—I asked if could bring someone else from Paste, and they said no. But I still wanted to go. I got advice from several of my friends, nervously photographed my passport and ID, and then waited for the day to arrive. Horror movies are of course fiction, but I kept worrying I was going to get robbed or Taken. I took several years of Italian in college but have forgotten most of it at this point (never got a chance to use it).