Leon Pancaldo, also called Leone Pancaldo (1488 or 1490 – 1538) was a Genoese

Republic of Genoa

The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....

 explorer.

Pancaldo was born in Savona

Savona

Savona is a seaport and comune in the northern Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea....

 in 1488 or 1490. He participated in the first circumnavigation of the globe led by Ferdinand Magellan

Ferdinand Magellan

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. He was born in Sabrosa, in northern Portugal, and served King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands" ....

. He was captured by the Portuguese in the Moluccas and was held prisoner for a long time.

In 1534 he attempted another voyage, but in 1538 he died at the River Plate

Río de la Plata

The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...

 in South America, possibly following conflicts with indigenous people.

Commemoration

• The main tower in Savona and a street there are named after him.
• The World War 2 Italian Navigatori class destroyer
  Navigatori class destroyer
  The Navigatori class were a group of Italian destroyers built in 1928-29. These ships were named after Italian explorers. They fought in World War II. Just one unit, the Nicoloso Da Recco, survived the conflict.-Design:...
  
  Leone Pancaldo was named in his honour.