The “House”, owned by the Fondazione Enrico Berlinguer, was purchased in 1965 by the Italian Communist Party (PCI), which carried out an initial restoration project to transform it into a space for meetings and discussions on the Sardinian question and the workers’ movement. At the same time, the first collection of objects, memorabilia from the Gramsci family, and documents relating to Sardinian autonomism was assembled. In 1967, the House was opened to the public and became the headquarters of the Documentation and Research Centre.

The idea of establishing a museum, strongly supported by Gramsci’s granddaughters, Diddi and Mimma Paulesu — together with their mother Teresina, Antonio’s sister, tireless custodians of Gramsci’s memory in Ghilarza — gained the support of politicians and intellectuals from a wide range of backgrounds. Among them were archaeologist Giovanni Lilliu and anthropologist Michelangelo Pira, both leading figures in twentieth-century Sardinian culture.

In 1971, the House became a point of reference for a group of Milanese intellectuals — including G. Brambilla, P. Grassi, and V. Aldrovandi — who founded the Associazione Amici della Casa Gramsci di Ghilarza. The museum layout and exhibition design were entrusted to architect C. Boeri and scholar E. Fubini. The House Museum was officially inaugurated on 27 April 1975, and its management was entrusted to local associations inspired by Gramscian thought.

Since 2016, the House has been managed by the Fondazione Casa Museo di Antonio Gramsci, established by the Fondazione Berlinguer, the Gramsci-Paulesu family, the Fondazione Gramsci, and the Municipality of Ghilarza.