I didn't pick up my permesso di soggiorno...can I still retrieve it?

I left Italy in April 2010 and didn't think I'd return. The economic crisis was a deterrent and my employment status had changed from employee to agent (actually my employer had to downsize and asked that I get off the payroll and become an independent agent). In order to preserve my relocation benefits, I chose to return to the US and not take financial risks with the recession. Now, I'd like to return to Italy, but wondered if I can still pick up the permesso di soggiorno at the police station. Do I need to start from scratch? It's been a year since I lived in Italy, and it took 2 years for the government to issue the permesso di soggiorno. It was so ironic that it was finally issued AFTER I got laid off.