SE Italy (the heel of the boot!)

Puglia, which is where Lecce is located, is on a different coast than Amalfi. Two different sides of the country.

Where exactly do you want to go and will you have a car?

Lonely Planet has a guide for Southern Italy. It would be nice if RS had one as well.

You need to buy a more comprehensive guide book. Rick Steve’s’ guide books are not comprehensive and do not claim to be so. He selects certain certain areas, regions.
Google Puglia and guide books and see what help you can get.

I was hoping for some ideas of travel in that area along the coast to Almafi.

Excuse me if this seems rude, but have you looked at a map? Unless you plan to follow the the outline of the 'toe' of the boot, there really is not much coast to travel along between Lecce and Amalfi

nasmalley good morning. I am assuming that you meant to say the Adriatic coast rather than Amalfi coast and if so, check the Lonely Planet Guide to Southern Italy. Or edit your post and you will receive many helpful replies. Good Luck. I am headed to Lecce in two days so I will look forward to reading what others have to say.

I may have misinterpreted, but I don't think cycling from Lecce to Amalfi is outlandish for somebody used to cycle touring.
You could probably do it in 6 or 7 days keeping mostly to the coast and not exceeding 90 miles in a day.
Lecce - Otranto, Otranto to Gallipoli (both these sections would be quite flat). Gallipoli to somewhere in the gulf of Taranto, from there to approximately level with Maratea on the west coast, cut across the "toe" to Maratea or Sapri, Sapri to Santa Maria di Castellabate, and finally from there to Amalfi along the Gulf of Salerno.

Who did you book the cycling tour through? They should have provided you with a basic itinerary including stopping points, hotels etc. I would ask them for more details first then do some research on the web. Guide books are not the end all be all for traveling. At best they should provide you with some ideas for for further planning.

Exodus. Our trip is over at Lecce…I’m making plans for after the tour!

How much time do you have? Are you looking to spend it in Puglia or? Where do you fly home from?
Several other guides cover the areas, also online you'll find plenty.

I just spent 2 weeks in Puglia and loved every moment. Lecce is stunning. I stayed there for about 6 days and used it as my first home base. I enjoyed Lecce immensely. I absolutely fell in love with it from the moment I stepped inside the walls of the Centro Storico. I was able to take the train to little towns all around there. Otranto was gorgeous. It's a beautiful seaside town. I visited for lunch, toured the castle, and did a little bit of shopping. I think that was just the right amount of time.

I rented a scooter and spent 3 days in and around Laterza. You really can't get there by train. It was an amazing gem of a small town with no real tourism that I could tell. It was a lovely home base from which to explore Alta Mura, Gioia del Colle, Matera, and Putignano. I could have stayed there for a week exploring all of the nooks and crannies that area had to offer. Many people recommend Alborobello, Cisternino, Locorotundo, and Ostuni- all of which are reachable from that area. I didn't visit any of those this time, but they were definitely on my radar. Although I intentionally skipped Alborobello as it is very touristy and I saw trulli everywhere while riding the scooter on the back roads in that area.

My next home base was Bari. Bari is definitely worth a visit in and of itself. The historic center is pretty cool. It's also a transportation hub, so it's easy to get to many towns by train, especially those up and down the coast. I particularly enjoyed Monopoli.

If I had to do it over again, I'd rent a scooter from the beginning, stay in Lecce again as a home base and then probably stay in the Laterza area longer, rather than using Bari as a third home base.

I'm so excited for you!

Rough guide has a small guidebook on Puglia