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Meet the influencer: Andrea of Pretty Little London shares London's best spots to Instagram

Capital gains: Italian influencer Andrea Di Filippo has made London his second home
Capital gains: Italian influencer Andrea Di Filippo has made London his second home

Say buongiorno to Andrea Di Filippo, aka @dr_difilippo, who – with 60,000 Instagram followers – is a fully paid-up member of London's Instagram royalty.

He's the king (and his girlfriend, Sara, the queen), of Pretty Little London, a mega page devoted to finding all the cute, hidden spots across the capital. Born to an Italian father and British mother, the Insta-influencer lived in Italy for most of his life before packing up and moving to London full-time three years ago

Working as a digital project manager at a successful tech company, Andrea has been Instagramming the city for the past two years and now spends most of his free time perfecting his blog and travelling the world.

From the hidden depths of south London to the colourful storefronts and facades of the Seven Dials, his feed is all about documenting the high life in London town. Think snazzy hotels (shout-out to the Dorchester) and every shop and arcade in Mayfair. No wonder he has such a hefty follower count.

As part of our Meet the Influencer series, we asked him to name a few of his favourite spots in the city. And for a few Insta-tips, of course.

Where are your favourite places to Instagram in London?

That is such a difficult question, there are so many! But if I really had to choose one, I would probably have to go with Carnaby Street and the surrounding area, especially everything in and around Liberty. It's probably one of the most Instagrammable places in London.

A post shared by Andrea (@dr_difilippo) on Oct 17, 2017 at 4:53am PDT

Carnaby Street eh? Name all these pretty spots then.

I personally really like Lina Stores. It sells delicious and authentic Italian products that you really can't find in the supermarkets. Jinjuu is also a must, especially if you're into Korean food. For a decently priced, pretty and good brunch, look no further than the Ivy Soho Brasserie.

Name your top five Instagrammable restaurants?

It's actually way harder than you think finding a 'grammable restaurant, as most often have very poor lighting – a deadly thing in the Instagram world.

Dishoom in King’s Cross is a good one but you will often have to queue for at least 20 minutes just to get a seat. It's so worth the wait, though.

A post shared by Andrea (@dr_difilippo) on Apr 21, 2017 at 12:36am PDT

On the Instagrammable brunch side, I would definitely recommend Dalloway Terrace in Bloomsbury or Coppa Club Tower Bridge.

For something a little more upmarket, head to Celeste at the Lanesborough Hotel and Browns in Mayfair. Both have great food and there are plenty of picture opportunities, of course.

A post shared by Andrea (@dr_difilippo) on Feb 20, 2017 at 4:27am PST

How did Pretty Little London come about?

I was having a really bad day at work and my girlfriend said, "You have been spending too much time in the office. Let’s get a little creative. Why don’t we go buy a camera?" And so we did.

We started looking for inspiration on Instagram but all the London-related pages only posted pictures featuring the same old landmarks.

To separate ourselves from the trend, we started going on long walks and discovered so many hidden gems in the city: little cafes, pretty flower beds, charming and lost streets – you name it, we found it. We really just wanted to help Londoners find all these beautiful spots through our page.

A post shared by Andrea (@dr_difilippo) on Apr 8, 2017 at 12:43am PDT

What tips do you have for all of us novice 'grammers?

Instagram is one of the hardest social media platforms to master, especially in the beginning, so don't expect to get lots of likes and features straight away. If you want your profile to be a success, my suggestion is to always put passion into your photography and create your own style.

Don’t copy other people, be inspired. If you do a good job, the results will come and it will be incredibly rewarding.

Also, engage with other Instagrammers. You will find a lot of people who you have things in common with and maybe even make some new friends.

Tell us all your secret spots to ‘gram in the city.

If I tell you, then they won’t be secret anymore... Jokes aside, I really like Neal’s Yard, as it is so central but so hidden at the same time. It always feels like walking through a secret alley and ending up in a colourful dream. Another good one is Bayswater Street right next to the King’s Road. It's full of pastel houses and vintage cars, and it's well out of sight from all the tourists, too.

A post shared by Andrea (@dr_difilippo) on May 1, 2017 at 7:58am PDT

Everyone loves taking pictures of coffee. Who does the best cup in London?

I recently had the opportunity to interview Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola (I am a massive Chelsea FC fan), and he told me all about his ice cream parlour Unico Gelato in Bromley. Its ice cream is great (the best in London, I say) but it really is all about the coffee in this little gem.

It gets its coffee from Terzi, a company based in Bologna, Italy, which sources its beans from small indie businesses around the world. To make sure everything is up to scratch, Unico even made sure all its waiters went on special training courses to ensure it made the best cup of java in the land.

If you were visiting London for the first time ever, where would you go first?

I would go to Big Ben (well, once they finish refurbishments) and Westminster Bridge.

A post shared by Andrea (@dr_difilippo) on Jan 6, 2017 at 6:26am PST

If you were a London district, which one would you be and why?

It would have to be Islington. I live in Angel and it's such a lovely part of town – full of great restaurants and cafes. If you're not familiar with the area, try Gallipoli, my go-to Turkish restaurant for great food and interiors.

Zia Lucia is good for Italian food, its nduja pizza is superb (I'm Italian remember, trust me). As for cafes, Bellanger (a French Bistro) does amazing breakfast spreads and exceptional coffee.

A post shared by Andrea (@dr_difilippo) on Oct 27, 2017 at 8:05am PDT

Zone One can get a little too much sometimes. Name all the places you go in the burbs to escape?

I really love going to Richmond and Hampstead. They both remind me of a small British village where everyone knows each other. In London, I think that's special.

Lovely. Where would you recommend going in Hampstead, then?

There is a street right behind Hampstead Station that is absolutely gorgeous. There are lots of local pubs and very 'grammable houses. Just get lost and when you find yourself back in the main part of town, head to the The Holly Bush pub for a pint.

If there was one place in London you’d tell someone to ‘gram, where would it be?

If they could only take one picture, definitely Neal’s Yard. It will get you a lot of likes!