Complex sentence: Pietro was interested in exploration from an early age and won entry to the French naval school at Brest, graduated as an ensign, and went on the French ship "Jeanne d'Arc" to Algeria.
Split into simpler sentences: Pietro was interested in exploration from an early age and won entry to the French naval school at Brest. He graduated as an ensign and sailed on the French ship "Jeanne d'Arc" to Algeria.