For some historians the town's name derives from the Latin word "ducenta" (two hundred), referring to the extension of territory or at the time of its foundation, the number of its inhabitants. Other scholars assume that, since the center was ruled, for a short while, at the same time by Romans and Samnites, city "duae gentes" (of two populations), from which Dugenta.
Municipality in the province of Benevento, located in a vast plain between the valley Caudina and Telesina on the left bank of the River Volturno, near Taburno, the town is also washed by the River St. George and by the Isclero. The abundant presence of fresh water and the fertility of the soil make the area particularly suitable to agriculture and famous for its olives, fruits and grapes (from which several fine wines are produced, such as: Falanghina and Aglianico). The town's economy registers a strong income from its craft productions.
Colonized by the Romans and the Samnites, the area was crossed by the Via Latina which connected Benevento to Rome. Its strategic location and the presence of the river influenced the development of the town, whose presence is attested for the first time in a document of 833. Over the following centuries it belonged to different feudal families and between the XVI and the XVIII centuries, with other neighboring towns became part of the domains under the jurisdiction of the Gambacorta Family. After the unification of Italy, it was a district of Melizzano and gained its self-autonomy in 1956.
Attractions:
- the XII century Mother Church of St Andrew, features a façade embellished by two columns and a large tympanum. The structure has a single nave plan and is flanked by a beautiful Bell Tower;
- the Church of St. Andrew, recently built in Gothic style, houses a wooden Crucifix of the artist Musner and paintings of the Valdelli;
- the Chapel of Santa Maria in Pesole, founded in the XVI century, contains a fine statue of the Virgin on a throne with the Child sitting on her legs;
- the Church of St. Nicholas has an hexagonal plan and on the portal several scenes from the Bible are represented;
- the medieval Castle, built around year 1000, is located in a dominant position and in the second half of the XIII century was donated by Charles I of Anjou to Guglielmo of Belmonte. It later became the property of several lords and landowners. It was built on the remains of an existing Roman building and presents a strange angular plan with mysterious underground tunnels. Unfortunately, of the original four towers, only one is still visible with its cylindrical shape;
- the XVIII century Palazzo Vanvitelliano had built by Charles III of Borbone.